The Crossroads to Eternity
by EarlyMorningWriter
Summary: Corporal Simpson joined the Army out of necessity and after two tours in Afghanistan he thought he could handle anything. When his unit is assigned to operate a quarantine camp in Maryland he meets his match in the young redheaded woman that Mike Slattery once described as, "a trouble maker if there ever was one." But sometimes it turns out that trouble is just what you need.
1. Chapter 1

**Frankenstein, Aimee Mann**

The edge of the bed sagged as Riley struggled to get her feet under her. After waking a few minutes ago, she'd tried to convince herself to go back to sleep, but the chill air and her nagging need to pee had gotten the best of her efforts. She repressed a groan as the twins settled themselves more comfortably on her bladder.

"Just a few days. You can make it a few days Betty." she reminded herself.

A sleepy voice interrupted her thoughts. "Do you need any help?" The duvet slid down and a thin sliver of spiky blond hair appeared at the edge. "Damn it's cold in here. I take it back. I'm not getting up until it's at least 10 degrees warmer."

He hadn't come home until nearly 2200 last night and she knew Green was expecting him to be ready to go again at 0800 so she just waved him off. Besides, ever since they 'd reunited after his Midwest trip and her move from Chicago, he hadn't been sleeping well. "I have been peeing by myself for almost 18 years. I think I can manage now."

His voice was muffled by the duvet and the door she shut between them. "OK, but if you change your mind..."

She waited until she was getting back in bed, snuggling her cold toes on his calves and wiggling to get comfortable again. "That's gross Garth, really. I can't believe you'd even suggest that."

One strong arm wrapped around her middle. Well, halfway around her middle since it was such a gargantuan size, and pulled her back against him. "Betty, If you were knee deep in a latrine I still wouldn't take my eyes off of you. You're breathtaking, don't you know that?"

She snorted. "You're messed up in the head Garth, but I love you anyway."

"Mmm, I know." He spread his hand wider on her belly. "Someone is very active under here."

"Yeah, they like to do cartwheels in the middle of the night. I'm totally going to miss this feeling after next week."

"You don't think we'll have any more?" His tone was light, but his hand stilled.

"Ask me again once I've survived this birth. I'm afraid we'll both be messed in the head after this." She placed her hand over his and squeezed.

He sighed. "I know my reassurance means nothing, but it will be OK. And I'll be right there with you. I promise, nothing bad will happen."

She sniffed. "That's easy for you to say. You're not getting sliced open while lying on a table wide awake!"

He pulled her fractionally closer. "I know. Do you want your mom to go in with you instead of me? Would that help you feel better? Or maybe we can try to talk the doctor into letting you have two people. We didn't push very hard with the two babies, two attendants strategy."

She pulled the covers tighter. "No, I'm going to be scared out of my mind no matter what. Before the Red Flu, there was no one other than my mom I would have wanted with me. But now, it's you or no one."

He hugged her a little tighter and she turned her head just far enough to place a soft kiss on the soft underside of his arm where her ear had been resting. Soon his breathing evened out into a steady shushing. She detangled her fingers from his and smoothed her hand over the twins. She liked to imagine that they could sense her hand, almost like a ripple of wind in their sky, and would know she was here, hugging them with her whole body. She wondered how old she'd been when hugs from her mom had lost the ability to envelop her in their own world of safety. And which had she lost first, the sense that her mom could take on the world or her physical sense of melting into her arms? It didn't seem like it was very long ago.

Garth twitched and muttered some thing about fifty foot perimeters. So it was going to be that one tonight. She sighed and carefully extracted herself from his arms. Might as well sit up and put on some headphones. This one involved a lot of talking. She tipped her head back, her favorite nightime playlist soothing her with the sound of Pharell's smooth Happy. As had become her habit these last few months, she laid one hand over the twins and another on Garth's bare shoulder, rhythmically circling each in a slow pattern meant to soothe all four of them back to sleep.

The dim light spilling in through the hotel window caught her wedding band and made its dull luster shine brighter than the darkened surroundings. Had it only been eight months since they met? She closed her eyes and remembered. Everything had been so chaotic then. She'd come home from the gymnasium on the second day of summer training camp to find her mother in the garage loading the van with essentials. Everyone had been talking about the outbreak at camp but no one was worried. It was something happening far away, to other people, not home in Virginia. But even though her mother had tried to claim it was just to convince her brother that she was serious about their 4th of July camping trip, that had been her first moment of fear. In less than two weeks they had lost her brother and rioting had made Norfolk almost unlivable. For all her earlier preparations, her mother had resisted evacuating when the base closed. Major Velasquez had ended up telling her that Emma and Riley would be put on a bus and taken to the safe zone without her on the grounds that she was endangering minors. That had gotten her angry enough to make the drive to Deep Park, if only to be able to rail at him some more about how she wouldn't ever be parted from her kids.

For the first few days in the safe zone, most everyone just sat in their tents in shock. Emma was the only one of the three of them that seemed to have any hope and she flitted from tent to tent, checking in on families they knew and asking newcomers for news from outside. Even mealtimes under the big green army tent were quiet and solemn affairs. As new families arrived and the spaces between groups filled in, they began to get put together the pieces of what was happening outside. People sat in small groups and spoke in hushed voices about which governments they thought had perpetrated the virus or why they were chosen for a spot in the safe zone over the thousands of other families who showed up at the gates and were turned away everyday.

On the third day after they arrived, Riley woke up angry. She was fed up with sitting still, fed up with waiting in fear for the day when someone would bring the Red Flu into their camp. She went to breakfast as usual and as she hunched over her powdered eggs, she let her anger coalesce into a plan. If this was really happening, then they were truly in a fight for their lives. She couldn't believe it had taken 8 days since the death of her brother to figure that out.

At the thought of Lucas, her heart clenched. Lucas, the fun loving mini version of her father was gone. They hadn't even had a real funeral for him. One minute her mother had a call from his school that they were taking him to the emergency room for a high fever, and a few hours later he was quarantined. She and Emma had been home, expecting their mother to call and say he would be fine with some meds and rest when some Navy guys in space suits showed up to quarantine them. It had been terrifying, having strangers come in and insist they had to submit blood samples. By the time their mother came home the next morning, they had been cleared and her brother;'s body had been taken for disposal. Disposal, as if you could simply erase eleven years of love just like that. She wouldn't let her grief cow her though. She wasn't going to sit here, moping over a bowl of sickly sweet instant oatmeal. She'd been lucky enough to live and to get into this safe zone.

"Don't worry Lucas. I'll get it together."

"Did you say something?" A man stopped as he passed behind her. He was tall, so tall she really could only see his tan webbed belt and the Styrofoam bowl he was holding when she half turned from the picnic table.

"Ah sorry." She leaned back trying to see his face. Her eyes traveled up a long muscled torso, wrapped in a faded green tee, past a chiseled jaw, full red lips, and a nose that was currently sporting a red mark on the bridge, to meet his hazel eyes. Even with the dark circles of fatigue, and possibly the yellowish-purple tinge of a healing black eye, he was easily the handsomest man she'd ever seen in person. She scrambled for something to say. "Uh, better polish that buckle before your C.O. sees you soldier."

He swung a leg over the bench next to her. "Gee kid, I think he's a bit too busy saving people's lives to haul us in for an inspection. But thanks, I'll make sure to get right on that."

She sat up to her full five foot two inches. "I'm not a kid."

He looked down from at least a foot over her shoulder. "You're right, you're just travel sized."

That was the last straw. "For your information I am 17. And you're not that tall. My Dad is both taller and bigger than you. And he's an O5 so that makes him like 16 steps ahead of you. " So there! She turned back to her oatmeal.

"Well then, for your information I am 20. My dad is very likely older than yours and a mean S.O.B to boot. And the only place an O5 is 15 steps ahead of an E4 is the Navy so I'm not too worried. Can you imagine how fast the flu tore through those ships?"

His face froze the minute he said it and for a few seconds she just stared at him, open mouthed. So he was an asshole too. "Take your breakfast and get away from me, right now." She hadn't known her voice could sound like that, half wounded animal, half angry bear.

"I'm sorry. Really. I didn't mean to... I shouldn't have said that. It was..."

"I swear to God. I don't know who the fuck you think you are but if you don't leave my vicinity in the next five seconds I will make you regret you were ever born." She stared him down. "1...2..."

"Ok, Ok!" He stood, holding his hands up. "I can see I've made you upset."

She wanted to yell that it wasn't true but she'd already decided that it was foolish to hope. Her dad was either already dead, or likely to be dead very soon. She should accept it. it was easier if she did. Still, a lump formed in her throat and she knew she was on the verge of exploding. "..3.."

"I'm going. You can stop counting." He picked up his oatmeal and turned to the table behind her.

"Farther." She didn't want to see him, or hear him, or know that such an odious person existed.

"Alright fine!" he slammed his oatmeal down on the table and stomped away down the aisle. "I'm so sorry to ruin your breakfast with reality!"

She knew it was wrong, but she enjoyed watching the muscles of his back flex as he stormed away. Too bad he was such an ass because he was certainly easy on the eyes.

That afternoon she had finally found something to distract her from her grief. A young Private Chan came to ask her mother to volunteer to help with intake into the camp. He explained that the Army troops had been working for three days straight and they needed more hands so they could rotate off duty and get some rest. Given her mother's background as an airline agent, he thought she might be able to help them get organized in handling so many people efficiently. Riley went in to explain it to her mother. She was lying curled up on a blanket against the wall of their tent and the only response she gave was a grunt.

"Mom, did you hear me? The survival of the rest of the family might depend on securing the front gates. They really need your help and you need something to get you busy. Come on. Get up. I'll go with you and help."

Her mother gathered the blanket tighter around her shoulders. "I'm not ready. Just, you go and do your best. You're a smart girl ." It was like she'd forgotten that she had two daughters still living who needed her.

Returning to the alley between tents she informed Private Chan that "She's not fit to go anywhere. I'll do it."

He raised a doubtful brow. "With all do respect Miss. We're looking for someone a little more experienced for this job."

"With all do respect Private," she pulled herself rigid as if she was about to flag the judges for a vault routine. "it sounds like you aren't in any position to turn down an offer for help. Show me around the intake area and if you don't like my ideas, you can fire me and get someone else."

He glanced toward the front gate where the intake area was located "Fine." His shoulders slumped as he gestured toward a hastily set up tent. "We need to get a handle on things ASAP. Major Velasquez is expecting three buses down from Annapolis any minute now and we've already had to quietly diffuse several near riot situations. She fell into step behind him. Annapolis? Maybe someone int he group would be Navy. Maybe someone would know how to get in touch with her father.

The safe zone consisted of a large tent city at the local high school. People requesting admittance were currently being screened in the parking lot and then led around to the back where families or roommates were assigned to tents set up on the athletic fields. When Riley had come in three days before it had been the middle of the night. There had been a finger prick blood test and then a terrifying wait for the results, surrounded by men in biohazard suits, some carrying guns. Once they had results they had been pointed to another tent. While they were there a family had been partially rejected. The father had insisted that he and all his sons should be let in. One of the guards had finally asked him if he wanted the one child who was cleared to enter to have the best chance to live. Riley's mother had started bawling along with the father as he suddenly backed away from the boy while simultaneously telling him it was because he loved him that he was leaving. Riley had been afraid that they would be similarly broken apart, but since the school had brought Lucas to the hospital, none of them had actually had contact with the flu and they tested clean.

Chan led her to a neighboring tent with a suited guard at the door. "Get yourself a suit and then I'll walk you through the system"

They didn't talk as they suited up There was a pile of used tyvek suits on one table and just a few new ones in shrink wrap packaging on the other. For once she was glad that she was so short because all of the remaining new packages were size extra small. She quickly put one on and selected the cleanest looking head gear from a pile at another table. The smell of bleach hit her the minute she lowered it over her head. She grabbed a pair of rubber gloves and tugged them on while reading a dirty and frayed copy of a CDC brochure about how to tape the cuffs of the suit. There was no tape so she pulled on a second pair of gloves right up over her cuffs. Chan shrugged, it would have to do.

She wasn't sure if it was the balmy June night air or the idea that this thin and papery suit was all that stood between her and people who most likely had been in contact with the virus, but she immediately began to sweat. What the heck was she doing? She had taken AP biology. The safest thing to do was undoubtedly to stay as far away from everyone as possible and minimize her contact with new comers. But she kept thinking about that little boy, crying for his daddy as a guy carrying a gun carted him away to wherever they were corralling kids in this mess of tents. What if things had been different and her brother had been the survivor instead of the rest of them? She squared her shoulders and followed Chan without complaint. Her father was always saying that she was too sensitive and needed to toughen up. Well, when he found them he was going to find out who had gotten her feet back under her and made a difference first.

There wasn't much to learn. They were still doing intake the same way as they had when she came in. In the 10 minutes she was in the welcome tent, only 1 person was admitted to the camp. Three families were turned away, one without even being given a blood test as they showed visual signs of illness.

"It seems harsh but we can't risk letting someone in who is sick so if there is even the slightest doubt of their wellness, we have to exclude them. We're handing out these instructions for how they can stay isolated and come back to try to get in another day." Chan's voice was deep and muffled by the hood on his suit. "So far, we haven't had many repeat customers." He led her to a table covered with cleaning materials. "I'm going to start you on cleaning. Everyone who comes in gets their hands bleached, just in case they touched something contaminated in the tent. Everything on this side of the locker rooms is considered contaminated. Then they go into that line over there." he pointed to where a number of shell shocked people were waiting outside a door to the high school gym. "They go in for a shower, a first meal, and assignment for meal times and so on." She remembered that. After days of no water the shower had been very welcome, as had the food. But the first day had been a daze of getting situated.

"So I just spray their hands and point out where to go?"

"That's it." Chan confirmed. "Maybe warn the kids not to touch their eyes until they rinse in the shower and try to help people calm down? We try to rush them out of the tent as quick as we can to prevent problems, but by the time they land here they're already a little worked up." As they were standing there a little boy, who was waiting in line to be admitted to the gym, started wandering toward the tents that could be seen on the other side of the parking lot. "Crap, we keep having them get out of line here! You got this?" At her nod he went jogging off toward the kid.

Riley spent the afternoon doing her best to reassure people. She pulled out her biggest smile for the worried adults, got down at eye level with the kids, and tried to crack a few jokes here and there to diffuse the tension. But the people coming in rarely responded, most of the kids were crying whether they were with parents or not, and by the time someone came to relive her a few hours before dinner, she was feeling totally demoralized. She stood with her arms out while the next volunteer sprayed her suit with bleach and pointed toward a rope strung between the back corner of the tent and one of the metal poles holding up the portico at the front of the school.

A canvas banner, proclaiming this school Home of the Stag Stampede, blocked her path and she was funneled from the sidewalk to the apron of concrete that made a patio for students to congregate. There were several similar banners all along the portico forcing everyone who wanted to approach the school doors to go back around to the sidewalk and enter straight on. Stepping from the bright sunshine of the sidewalk to the shade of the portico was a huge relief. It kind of made her think of Disney World, the way the flow of people was controlled and she wondered if the school had set it up that way on purpose. This must have been a busy area before the Red Flu hit.

Someone had written the instructions for removing protective gear on the front window of the school but condensation from the evening humidity had caused the words to drip. She reached for the zipper on her suit when a muffled man's voice called out "Not like that!" A tall guy in a suit had come into the chute behind her and now shook his head and pointed toward the sign. "You have to be very careful that you don't self contaminate." She squinted at the window. That was what she was trying to do!

"Well I had no instructions so I was doing my best."

"Hold on Mrs. Slattery and you can copy me.. Dammit Chan should have gone over this with you." He held up his hands in front of him. "The order is booties, gloves, suit, hood, gloves."

She gave him a thumbs up. "Got it."

"You sure? Because if there is any suspicion we have to put you in the sub-quarentine area..and I haven't been given a procedure to let anyone out of there yet." He jerked a finger toward a small grouping of tents near the opposite side from the main tent city. A fence separated the area and two men with M-16's manned the gate area.

"I'll copy you."

She caught a reflection in the large glass windows on either side of the door and hardly recognized herself. No wonder kids were crying when they came into the camp, they were faced with alien looking people in space suits. The man stripped off his first layer of gloves and booties. Then he unzipped the Tyvek suit and pushed it down to his waist. After spending most of the day looking through a dirty visor at people in the suits, which reminded her of footie jammies, the revelation of a firm male body was mouthwatering. For goodness sakes Riley! This is not the time and place she reminded herself. After he shucked the bottom layer of his suit, the tall man arranged his suit on the line and removed his helm. She was surprised to see the cranky guy from the mess tent. Corporal Simpson. she recalled.

She unzipped her suit and carefully stripped it off. Hanging it over one of the canvas banners she began inspecting for rips. Chan had said that if there was any reason to doubt its integrity, she would have to go back through the admission procedure and could be expelled from the camp. Fortunately her suit was fine. She carefully removed her hood and placed it on a fence post. There were six of them already drying and it made her think of a scene from a movie where a medieval villain had stuck heads on pikes outside his gate as a warning to rebellious serfs. She was about to hook her finger in the roll of rubber at her wrist when a large hand stopped her.

He held out an arm. "Do it like this." She copied the way he flexed his wrist and couldn't help but notice how muscular his forearms were. "Now carefully catch that little air pocked with your other hand and roll it forward on itself." She copied his motion and rolled the glove down to her fingertips. "Now do the same but roll the second glove over the first so you only ever touch the insides." She followed him to a second trash can where he deposited his used gloves and then offered her a dollop of hand sanitizer. "Think you can manage next time or should I put you on laundry duty? Maybe you can collect and polish all our belt buckles?"

He blushed as soon as he said it and she fought back another giggle. So Mr. E4 thought he could make jokes now, huh. "I think I've got it. I have some other questions about procedure though. Chan wanted my mother to help reduce the issues at intake. But she's not up for it. But as I was helping today I saw plenty of issues for improvement."

He crossed his arms over his broad chest. "Chan reports to me. So yeah, I know she can't do it. But you think you know how to improve upon the procedures, our Major, a man with over 15 years experience, put into place?"

She stiffened. There he went again with the attempts to pull rank. "For your information I have exactly the kind of experience you need." She meant that in more ways than one but she had a feeling Mr. Stick-Up-His-Ass wouldn't take the joke if she said so out loud. " I think I can offer suggestions for challenges that your Major, whoever he is, hasn't had time to work on because he had to set this place up and move on so quickly. I helped my school host a national cheerleading competition last year and we even won an award for it."

He rolled his eyes and began walking toward the sidewalk the skirted the building. "Cheerleading? Seriously."

She tagged after. She practically had to take two steps for every one of his. God, what was it with these young guys, put in charge of something for the first time in their lives, that always thought they were the only ones who could know anything? "Yes, we had 5000 people in and out of three gyms. We organized parking, concessions, souvenirs, hotels, and awards." She smirked. "And on top of that we won best in show in the senior grouping."

He threw up his hands with a huff. "Fine. I have thirty minutes for dinner and then I have to make rounds of the tent groupings. You can regale me with your silly plans through then."

She drew a deep breath and launched into her comments before he had a chance to stop her. "You need to use what you have more effectively. Why aren't we using the building?"

"It's public property. We didn't get permission from the city council to use any more than the 1st floor bathrooms that can be accessed from the locker room. And, well, there's no city council left to ask."

She shook her head. "Well, we're under martial law aren't we. If Major Velasquez is the highest authority we can ask, then get him to authorize it."

Garth snorted. "Good luck. He doesn't bend the rules, ever."

"Well you'll just have to convince him that it is not only within the rule of law but also the right thing to do. #1 is easy. Martial law lets him use public property for the safety and welfare of the public. That's the very nature of what we're doing here. Besides, as you so helpfully pointed out the other day, society as we know it is in free fall. There will be plenty of capacity for high school students even if this building is no longer usable when we are done."

"You are awfully cold hearted for such a young woman." They rounded the corner of the building and headed for the food tent setup near the football field house to take advantage of it's water and restrooms.

"On the contrary. I am not insulting your obvious intelligence by sugar coating what we both know is the harsh reality of the situation."

As soon as they got in line a young woman with the shield insignia of a specialist approached. "Simpson, I need a word."

He muttered something under his breath before turning to Riley. "Grab me something and I'll catch up to you in a few minutes. Oh, and get a lot of water. Those suits are very dehydrating." As he stepped out of line with the woman Riley sized her up. Although her hair was perfectly done, her dark roots were showing a few weeks of growth and her uniform was rumpled as if she had worn the same one for many days straight. Riley glanced down at her own shorts and tee. They weren't looking too hot either. As she grabbed a tray and and began piling on items she added laundry facilities to another need of the camp. A few minutes later Garth joined her at the end of a long table. "I managed to snag a 10 and a 4, which do you want?"

"No contest, the 10 every time." His appreciative smile changed his entire face and suddenly didn't seem half as imposing as before.

"Suit yourself." She tossed him a bag and he easily caught it in one big hand. "I bet you'd make a great volleyball player. My sister plays and she has those kind of reflexes."

He looked askance. "Usually people say I'd make a good volleyball player because of my height."

"I know better than to judge based on that. My dad is super tall and he's terrible at it, but I'm not bad and I can barely see the bottom of the net."

"You play volleyball?" His plastic fork looked tiny in his hand as he took a bite.

Riley shook her head while she poked around for something she could actually recognize as a vegetable. "No, but I can jump. I'm a gymnast."

He scanned her from top to bottom. "I can see that. You're very fit." She supposed that was a fair assessment, although honestly she would have liked it more if he'd said she looked good or she had a hot ass or something. She chided herself for her vanity.

The vegetarian taco tasted mostly like Tabasco flavored sawdust to her and she wrinkled her nose. But her stomach betrayed her by growling so she returned for another bite anyway. "Let's get to business. If you took advantage of the school building I think you could greatly increase the safety of the camp. I saw three major problems today 1) There is a huge risk of cross contamination from people coming in because there isn't a place to isolate them for a brief entry quarantine. 2) The intake process has no privacy so the gut wrenching emotional dramas are playing out in front of everyone, really raising the tension for the people in line and the workers. And 3) right now if the virus gets in, we're all done for, Game Over, KO, The End."

He had been shoveling in food so fast that she wasn't sure he was listening and he made her wait while he chewed the last bite. Finally setting down his fork he sat back and nodded. "I'm not going to argue that those are problems. But how is possibly breaking the law and commandeering an entire building going to solve any of them?"

She flattened her napkin on the table and without thinking grabbed the pen she could see in his breast pocket. She began sketching the building. "OK, bear with me here, I'm no artist. But you've got this building so you ought to take advantage of it." She began drawing dotted lines to divide up the diagram. "If you moved the fences..."

"Stop right there." He leaned over the paper and their shoulders touched. "You just drew a fence through the building. We don't have a way to close off different parts of the building."

She snorted and tapped the red badge on his sleeve with a pen. "We're not talking a floating bridge here. You're the engineer. I'm sure you can figure it out."

"Well yeah but we're already on the premise that I'll use the building.."

It was her turn to interrupt. "Do you want us all to die or live? Huh? 'Cause I'm trying to help us stay alive here and you are just putting up road blocks everywhere." She sat back on the bench, crossing her arms and staring him down. He stared back for a minute.

Finally he sighed and shook his head. "Fine, draw on."

"Ok, the school has several spaces that ought to work for us. We need to separate the in and out lines so we cordon off the front lobby area. People come in, they go through a few rooms during the testing process, then those who are being admitted go one way, through an easily defended hallway, toward the locker rooms. Those that are not exit through the gift shop. We give them a few meals, water, and advise them to isolate themselves from other people before we send them out."

"We can't send them away with food." Incredulous, she looked up from her diagram and met his hazel eyes.

"Are you seriously that heartless? These people are dying. The least we can do is offer them some compassion."

He rolled his eyes. "Keep your voice down." He ducked his head closer to hers. "Are you seriously that naive? Sure, it's a nice thought and all but number 1," He stabbed the table with his finger. "We can't spare the food in the first place and number 2, what if they don't eat the meal and someone else takes it and gets infected from it? Right now I'm saving my compassion for the survivors."

She blinked at him for s few seconds. She hadn't thought about that. He was right. Shit! This whole thing was just so impossible. She felt a sudden urge to cry. No, No, No! She told herself. This isn't hopeless. It simply cannot be. She bit her lip, refusing to cry in front of him.

His voice was softer, more gentle, and when she met his eyes this time there was a sense of pleading to his expression as if the very same pit of despair had opening up inside of him like it had her. "Go on though, we can work out how to deal with the groups later. Tell me the rest of your plan."


	2. Chapter 2 - Makeshift Love

****Make Shift Love, Good Charlotte****

The first real scare in the camp was two weeks later. Garth was just sitting down to dinner with the Salttery's as had become their usual routine. Mrs. Slattery, Christine as she insisted on being called, had come out of her stupor a few days after he'd first met Riley and welcomed a chance to get involved in running the camp. Although they had already started implementing some of the changes Riley had suggested, after Christine started pestering Major Velasquez, the pace of change picked up rapidly and by the end of the first week they were utilizing the entire high school building as well as the field house. When Riley had first invited him to join them, Garth had wanted to refuse. But seeing as Velasquez and Christine were rapidly becoming a couple, he figured it was a good idea to at least make a good impression on her. Pretty soon it was a habit, even on nights when the Major was busy elsewhere.

When Chan came rushing in to find him he had been just about to enjoy a lukewarm meal and the chatter of healthy people around him. "We have a situation." Chan was unusually pale. Whatever it was must be serious.

He pushed his plate away and looked expectantly at Chan. "What's going on?"

The other man lowered his voice. "We have an intruder in the South field." So far the policy had been to keep their distance and threaten to shoot any intruders until they either climbed back over the fence or got escorted out by people suited up to take the risk.

Shit. He stood and began to lead Chan out of the tent with ground eating strides. They were having more and more of these incidents. Velasquez had warned that the time would come when they would probably have to actually shoot someone but he hadn't believed him. After all, why not turn back around and save your own life? But he hadn't understood until the first few incidents had occurred that the intruders were choosing against death, death in the outside world. "And they aren't responding to the warnings? Did you give a warning shot? If no one is willing to shoot them I'll do it myself. It's a matter of one life against.."

"It's a kid."

Chan's pleading voice brought him to a halt. "A kid! You can't shoot a kid! Where? Where are they?" Several heads swung in their direction at her raised voice. He turned and saw Riley hurrying in their wake. Damnit, why couldn't she have stayed inside where she belonged?

He attempted to calm the situation. "No one is shooting anyone. We'll figure out a way to get him out of here safely. Take me to him." Chan resumed walking toward a corner of the fences that circled a soccer field. It was just starting to get dark. Almost all the perimeter incidents so far had occurred late at night. Damn, the people outside were getting more and more daring, or more desparate. "Isn't there a guard posted over here?

"No one knows how long he's been there. Could have been since last night. He looks healthy but..."

Garth scanned the area and didn't see any kids. A couple men were standing guard on an empty corner of grass that was too wet for tents. "Did he get away?" The dread of not knowing if they had all been exposed filled his empty stomach with a caustic burn. Riley tugged his sleeve. "What now Riley? You need to get away from here and let us deal with this before you get infected." He tried to sound as cold and demanding as possible, but he should have known she wouldn't give a fig.

"Look up."

There was a slip of red about 30 feet off the ground in a tree that started outside the fence but overhung their boundary by at least ten feet. As he shifted he realized it was a shirt. "What the?" As Chan directed his flashlight up into the branches of a large oak tree, he could hardly believe his eyes. There was a tiny boy clinging to a branch. Even from here in the gloom of twilight he could see the kid was shaking in fear. "No one knows how long he's been up there?'

Chan shook his head. "A group of several families was trying to talk to people through the fence in this area yesterday. They were directed to come to the intake gate and it seemed like they left. About half an hour ago some kids were kicking a ball around and heard him calling them."

"Did they get rejected?"

"I don't know. I'll have to ask some..."

She was already half way up the trunk of a fat maple on their side of the fence before he'd even noticed her intent. "It's ok buddy. I'm coming to get you. You'll be ok."

He felt adrenalin take over. "Dammit Riley! Get down before you get infected or fall to your death or worse." She was fast, he'd give her that. He rushed toward the tree but she was already too high for him to reach.

The two guards stepped in closer, guns aimed into the tangle of branches. "What do you want us to do Simpson?" One of them asked. As if he'd tell them to shoot one of their own.

"Lower your weapons. Bert, go get some suits and blankets. Chan, get Velasquez."

Bert shot him a questioning glance over the top of his sight. "But the outsider.."

"I said lower them!" Great now everyone in a 500 yard radius would probably come running to see what he was bellowing about. He lowered his voice but kept it as steely as possible. "Give me that." He took the gun from the other man's hands and set the safety. "Jesus Christ we're not going to shoot one of our own and certainly not a child. Do I need to get Velasquez over here to repeat it?" Shit. The only reason he outranked these two was the credit he got after Basic for doing drill team in highschool, which he only got into because they tried it to keep him from being so disruptive in detention. It was ridiculous that they gave him any authority at all. "We'll figure out some way to get him down without it coming to that."

He looked up into the tangle of branches. "Get down Riley. It's not safe. Come down here before you fall."

"Gymnast remember. I got this." Her shoes thumped softly on the thick grass behind him. "Besides, I'm not one of your men. You can't tell me what to do."

He eyed the branch she was currently edging out and stepped parallel on the ground just in case she slipped. "I can if it impacts the health and safety of this camp. You can not touch him so you might as well get down here now."

"He's just a baby Garth. The only way you're going to stop me is to shoot me."

Shit. She knew damn well that he wouldn't do that. As she slowly began to swing her legs he realized her intent. She was going to hurl her body into the other tree. "No!" The gathering crowd gasped and he watched in horror as she let go of the branch and fell about three feet before catching a branch on the other tree.

"Ow!" She hung by one hand as she shook the other. "those little branches hurt!" The leaves rustled and a sprinkling of little twigs showered his hair but he didn't dare take his eyes off of her. He could imagine how it would go if she fell. Velasquez would call for a review, there would be a panel, and in the end he'd be cleared of any charges but the guilt would stay.

"Just stop there. We're getting some suits. Don't get any closer."

She completely ignored him and continued to pick her way along the branches. As he watched several scenarios played out in his head. If the kid fell they could suit up before they attended to him but they had no ability to provide serious medical care. If she contacted the boy they'd have to put the two of them in quarantine or expel them both. And if the kid was visibly sick, well that would be the end of the two of them, but he'd have to figure out how to keep everyone else from getting infected while they died. A terrible cold numbness took hold of him with the realization that something like this had been bound to happen eventually.

"It's ok kiddo. Can you back up toward me? I'll get you safe." He imagined she used the same tone when bringing new kids on the balance beam or bars.

The kid shook his head and whimpered in response. "I want my Nana."

"I know little man. I know. I'm going to try to help you find her." She reached an arm out and he cringed when the kid finally reached out and grabbed it. That might be it. Foolish girl may have just sealed her own death sentence.

There was a commotion as Major Velasquez pushed through the crowd, followed closely by Christine. "Riley Louise? Get back down here right now!" Her mother didn't even stop to catch her breath before she started shouting.

Garth shook his head. "I already tried that. She was determined."

Major Velasquez waved forward a couple more guys behind him. "What do you recommend Garth?"

"Me?" Velasquez seemed ok to leave things in his control when he was visiting other camps but when he was around he always made the decisions.

"Yeah you. Sargent Mueller stayed in Camp Five so you're the boss here until I can round up some officers from somewhere."

"Ah," his scenarios began to replay in his head. "Well, she's contacted the kid so we either expel them outright or.."

"No! We can't do that!" Christine whirled away from the tree so fast that her hair practically whipped Velasquez in the face. "That's my baby. I can't lose another baby." Emma Slattery wrapped an arm around her mom and glared at Garth.

"..or we put them in quarantine and see what comes of it." He hoped the Major choose the quarantine. It was hard enough turning away people with the flu every day. He knew with certainty that it would break him if he had to escort someone he knew outside the fence.

Velasquez motioned him closer and lowered his voice. "But surely you'd agree that it would be safest to eject them both from the camp. Better safe than sorry when it comes to hundreds of lives, right? No one else has had contact yet and we can't have desperate people putting their kids over the fence and putting the rest of us at risk." He realized with some surprise that Velasquez, a man he had seen dismantle land mines for crying out loud, was scared.

In the gathering darkness he could hardly make out the two up in the tree but Riley's voice was loud and clear. "I will not be responsible for a two year old year old being abandoned. If he goes out, so do I."

Gathering himself to his full height he took a deep breath. He'd never disagreed with Velasquez before but he supposed there was a first time for everything. He felt the eyes of the gathered crowd boring into him. If this went wrong, he'd be responsible for all their deaths, and his own as well. "I know it sets a dangerous precedent but she's right. We can't put the kid out alone. It would be child neglect and we'd be liable." Christine nodded from her place at the Major's elbow. He hoped their relationship had advanced as much as he assumed. "Plus she's under age too so I assume Christine and Emma would have to leave us too."

Christine's blue eyes went wide and he imagined that Riley's, which were practically a carbon copy of her mother's, did the same. "Hector, please, you know what it's like out there. Don't make us go!"

Velasquez' heavy brows knit together over narrowed eyes as he comprehended Garth's strategy. Time to turn the screws. "You know it would be consigning them to a cruel fate. You asked me what I recommended, well I say we figure out a way to put them in quarantine."


	3. Crossroads 3 - Little Earthquakes

Happy 242nd Birthday to our nation's Army! Alas, try as I might, I could not figure out how to work someone cutting a cake with a sword into this chapter.

**Little Earthquakes, Tori Amos**

Riley woke to the sun streaming in through the large classroom windows. The room already felt stuffy and overly warm despite the fact it couldn't be any later than 6:30 AM so after she pushed herself to sit cross legged on the gym mat she had used for a bed she threw off her hoodie. Reaching her arms overhead brought a stab of pain where a stubborn shoulder muscle refused stretch. Even though the gym mat was better than the linoleum floor, she was still stiff all over. The kid stirred but didn't wake as she tucked a worn quilt that someone had sent up back over him and laid a wrist over his forehead the way her mother used to do when she and Emma were kids. She had checked his temp every two hours as instructed and so far so good.

First things first, they needed fresh air. She padded to the windows and looked out over the camp. Over the last two weeks they had settled into a lazy rhythm where civilians showed up for meals at 0800, 1200, and 1800 and mostly sat and socialized the rest of the time. The early birds were already forming lines in front of the mobile shower and latrine trucks at the edges of the tent groupings, but overall the camp was quiet. Being short, she had to stand on something to reach the latch so she dragged over a student desk. She heard the door open behind her but didn't turn, lest she lose her balance as she scrambled to the top. As she stood on her tip toes her makeshift platform slid back away from the wall with a loud screech.

"What the he'll do you think you are doing?" Despite the muffling caused by the headgear he was wearing, she recognized Garth's voice immediately as one solid arm came around her waist and swung her to the floor as easily as she could carry the little boy still sleeping on the mat.

She wished she could just cede control and depend on his strength, the way much of the camp did, but she wasn't some toddler to be carted around at another person's whim. "For your information I was attempting to do a perfectly safe and normal thing and open the window."

He reached over her head and easily twisted the latch and pushed out the heavy window frame muttering, "More like trying to fall out the window and infect the whole camp."

She shuddered. He was wearing that suit to protect himself from her and the kid after all. "Has Major Velasquez decided what will happen to us if we get sick?" She pulled over the notebook where she had written down the temperature readings over night and slapped it on the desk between them. Garth wedged himself into the chair and opened the notebook with a heavy sigh. He looked ridiculous with his long legs stretched out in front of him and his back bowed over the tiny surface. She choose to stand, turning her back to the cool air moving in from the window and ruffling her hair to let the cool air wash over the damp tendrils at her neck.

After giving the lists of temperatures and pulses a quick look he flipped the cover shut and handed it back to her. "If he's decided, he's keeping it to himself. My orders are to continue checking with you every two hours and alert him if there are any changes. The medic will be by at 1000 and 1500 to check you both. Other than that we're supposed to keep you comfortable." He glanced over to where the boy was beginning to stir. "Do kids usually sleep this late?"

If today was like any other day, he'd probably been on the go since 0500, and that was after checking in with her every two hours until midnight last night. It probably did feel like everyone else was sleeping in. "I have no idea, but let him sleep. He had a traumatizing day yesterday."

Garth nodded. "Sure, yeah. Do you know how to take care of him? We can see if one of the mom's would volunteer. They'd have to stay in a damn suit but they would at least know what they are doing, when it comes to kids that is."

Riley didn't know whether to be offended or relieved. "Of course I do. I had a little brother you know. And I used to teach little kids' classes at the gym and I babysit. I'll be fine." The gym gave her an idea. "Hey, are there anymore of these mats around the school somewhere? Could we get a few more in here?"

"You know that we have to consider you infected even if you set up separate spaces. You already touched him and you're breathing the same air."

"Not for sleeping, for fun. I need to exercise or I'll get fat and you won't be able to just toss me around with one arm like before." She almost squirmed as Garth craned his neck to look up and down her ribbed tank and sweatpants. She hadn't changed from the night before, just hung her bra on a hook in the bathroom and laid down beside the kid in her clothes. She crossed her arms over her chest hoping he didn't see the way her body suddenly broke out in goosebumps on alert at his gaze.

"You have a long way to go before that." She caught a flash of teeth from behind the face mask as he broke into a grin. Over the last two weeks she'd learned that he didn't smile easily. While everyone else seemed to find reasons to forget about everything going on and keep the tone light, he seemed to sink deeper and deeper under the weight of responsibility that Velasquez was placing on his shoulders. Suddenly she wanted to see him smile more. "And your mother gave me express instructions to make sure you ate enough. You know there is an intense discussion going on around the camp this morning about whether we should allow the kid rations or not. So when your meals are sent up, eat or save everything. I don't know Velasquez's opinion on that matter either."

"The kid eats. End of discussion." She didn't even know his name yet but already she felt fiercely protective. "If you aren't going to make that argument, I will, from outside this room if necessary."

"Gah!" Garth threw up his hands. "You don't have to make everything a battle you know."

She pushed to her feet and paced over to the window. "I didn't risk my life on a whim. If I do something, it's one hundred and ten percent. And I don't take orders either. So you can march you hulking self back down there and tell Velasquez that the kid eats." She glanced over at his little body, huddled under the blanket and her tone softened as she added, "I think he's too old for formula but probably kid snacks and milk would be good, we can share the MREs."

When Garth checked in again two hours later she was relieved to see that he brought a variety of food choices for the little boy. She had learned that his name was Aiden and that his mom and dad were Tyrone and Jasmine. She was pretty sure he was only between 2 and 3 years old. He didn't know his last name or where he was from; he had gotten to the camp in Daddy's blue car; and he missed his doggie. She wasn't sure if he meant a family pet or a stuffed animal but after he'd clung to her and cried for most of the time he was awake she wished it had arrived with him, either way.

The minute Garth walked in the room in his white suit and hood the kid clammed up and buried his face in her shoulder. "It's OK. This is Corporal Simpson. He's on our side." She spoke softly into the delicate shell of his tiny ear hoping to soothe him. But he just tightened his skinny brown arms around her neck and whimpered into her hair. She might have thought it was sweet if she wasn't already damp with sweat from being on the third floor with no air conditioning.

Garth set a small box on the counter under the window and began removing items. "I tried to get a variety of stuff." He held up a package of fruit cups designed for kids lunch boxes. "I got you a number 10, last one in the box." Even through the plastic face shield Garth sounded tired. She took it and placed it on the counter. The devil on her shoulder wondered if he was giving her his favorite selection because he felt guilty or to truly be nice. But it had been a long day already and she wasn't going to make trouble over a nice gesture.

She held one of the sunny orange cups up to Aiden. "Want something yummy?" He eyed it suspiciously. Given that he probably hadn't eaten for most of yesterday she hoped his hungry stomach would overpower his distrust of Garth.

He looked between the fruit to her face and back again before nodding and reaching out to grab the cup and clutch it to his chest. "Are you the Hulk?" He whispered. It was first time the boy had talked voluntarily. She'd had to pry almost every other word out of him.

Garth chuckled. "No, but if you want to grow big and strong like me you need to eat your breakfast."

She sat Aiden down on the teacher's desktop and took the chair facing him. His tiny bare feet swung back and forth as he watched her peel back the lid with big brown eyes. She quickly determined that Aiden was more eager to eat than he was handy with the spoon. But he grinned and shook his head in denial every time she suggested she could help him. "You need a bib!"

"Uh uh. Aiden is Mimi's big boy now!" He proclaimed through a sticky mouthful.

"Did you bring a napkin?" She asked Garth.

He dug in his pocket and produced a faded bandana. "I didn't think of it, but this is clean. Or there's some towels in one of those boxes."

She took the bandana and tied it around Aiden's neck declaring it, "Just like a cowboy." When he protested. His big eyes darted between her and Garth a few times but when she held up the fruit he dug in again.

"Mimi? Is that your Nana?"

He puffed out his chest and pointed to himself with his spoon. "Yes! I Mimi's little buddy." After a few more spoonfuls he finally paused. Peach juice dotted Garth's bandana. "Where is Mimi? I want Mimi!" She managed to grab the fruit cup before he threw it down, but the spoon clattered across the floor.

She tried to stretch out a leg to reach it but Garth beat her to it, bending from the desk and easily grasping it in his fingers. He used the bandana around the boy's neck to wipe it off and calmly place it back in his hand and she wondered where he'd learned to be so gentle and patient with kids. "But Mimi!" Aiden's lips began to tremble. Riley remembered how her brother had been at this age and wondered if they were headed for a total meltdown. "Where go?" His hands fell to his sides and he collapsed into Riley in a sticky mess. "I want Mimi. Get Mimi."

Garth's voice was surprisingly soft and close to her ear. "Did Mimi put you in the tree?"

But Aiden was full on crying into Riley's neck now. She patted his back and shushed him. "I'll ask him more later. In the meantime, tell the people in the intake to be on the lookout for an older black woman driving a blue car. We don't want to risk rejecting her is she comes in. Chan probably has all the notes from yesterday. I don't remember anyone specific, but ask him for the logs. If he brings them up to me I'll review them and see what we can find out. Oh, and can you get me a book or something? I have already been through everything here and if my mind rests too long I get in trouble."

He nodded. "Yeah, I suppose that's what we have to do, wait it out. What kind of book do you like? I have some military history books and Chan's got some science fiction stuff. Of course, there must be a school library around here somewhere."

She wrinkled her nose. Military history? Didn't the guy ever do anything just for fun? "No. Remember the depressing books you had to read in highschool? I doubt anything in the library is going to do it for me. Just find me some romance novels. But not real porn-y ones. My mother doesn't allow those. But anything with embossed gold lettering, an English lord, or pirate, or cowboy on the front, that's my jam." She blushed as it occurred to her that Garth would probably look good as a cover model…all those muscles and his tawny eyes would make for a mighty fine bare chested kilt guy, maybe with a sword. "Do you have any of those kind of books?"

"Yeah, I guess I'll have to ask around."

The rest of the day wore her thin. Aiden seemed perfectly healthy but he was cranky and irritable and the medic insisted that they couldn't relax just yet. Although she was locked in and couldn't see very far on either side of the narrow window in the hallway door, a few people stopped to wave, knock, or give her a thumbs up. it was a little disconcerting at first, but as the small pile of clothes, games, and snacks left outside the door grew, her heart was buoyed. People wanted them to do well. Or maybe they needed them to do well so that they could believe there was a chance for their survival. She didn't care. Each time Garth came back and moved the pile inside, she helped Aiden find something fun to do and hoped they would still be feeling well the next time around.

The click of the door alerted her to his presence before a pair of white booties appeared in her line of vision. "Are you ok?" She probably looked terrible but just at that moment she couldn't spare a hand to wipe the sweaty strands of infuriatingly red hair from her slick forehead. She focused on contracting her biceps into another slow and controlled pushup all the while keeping one leg perfectly pointed skyward and the other leg at a precise 90 degree angle away from the wall. Her abs screamed from the effort of holding the pose and her arms were almost ready to give out but she was determined to finish a full set of twenty before righting herself. She hadn't meant to end up two hours into a workout but Aiden was sleeping and the knots she felt in her shoulders after three days of bumming around a locked classroom prompted her to stretch. Stretching led to yoga and yoga led to some basic strength training and before she knew it she was figuring out more and more calisthenics for the small classroom.

"Just three more." Her voice came out in rapid puffs and she slowly raised her left leg to meet the right, executed another pushup, and then lowered the right leg by 90 degrees.

A masked face replaced the boots as Garth bent down. "Is that supposed to be some kind of torture?"

She carefully switched legs again. "It's supposed to be a fantastic workout. Tell me that you've found his parents or grandmother while I finish up."

Garth returned to his full height. "I wish I could." He sighed heavily as she righted herself again. "We might have found her. We found a blue car with a body inside a few miles away. Had a car seat in the back." He held up a ratty stuffed dog. :Maybe Aiden will recognize this? I've got two guys suiting up to extract the woman and the medic said we should be able to test her blood and tell if she had been infected." She wasn't sure if the sound of blood rushing in her ears was from righting herself or from the news but her feet suddenly felt unsteady and she swayed to keep her balance. "Hey now." He caught her above the elbow and leaned her back against the wall. "Whoever the woman they found was, she was very old, like at least seventy. And there are no outward physical signs of the virus on the body."

For a minute she just stood there with the solid wall behind her back, her feet rooted to the floor, and his gloved hand on her arm as her only connection to reality. "Well, I suppose I already knew we'd crossed the Rubicon three nights ago, but now it feels like.."

"Alea iacta est, huh?" She peered through the glare of his face mask, surprised at his use of the Latin phrase, and the gruff remorse in his voice.

"Yeah, you could say that again." Despite the way the news was suddenly sinking in with a leaden finality, she giggled. "I don't really picture you as the geeked-over-dead-languages type. How do you know that?"

Garth relaxed his grip and sat on the edge of the teacher's desk. "Four years of military science classes and you pick up a few things. Just because I'm currently a grunt doesn't mean I'm stupid."

She snuffed. "I bet people underestimate your smarts all the time. They just see the Hulk and forget about Dr. Banner."

Behind the face shield she caught a flash of teeth, "Yeah something like that. But it doesn't work with you."

"If you met my dad you'd understand. I most definitely do not take after him in the physical department but I do in the brains."

"Perhaps. But I think your little handstand pushups routine demonstrates that Betty shouldn't be underestimated either."

Rather than think too hard about his words, and the curious warm feeling spreading thought her body, she pushed off from the wall and retrieved a piece of paper from the other corner of the desk. "Indeed. So, anyway, this is everything I've been able to learn about Aiden's family. Maybe you can use it to confirm if the body you found is his grandmother. Hopefully you can figure that out before the camp gets wind of it."

Garth scratched the back of his neck through the crinkly suit as he glanced down the sheet of paper. "Yeah, Chan was going to to check on the team after lunch. We're trying to keep it hushed. Hopefully, if the body turns out to be the woman we are looking for, it will be clear that she died some other way. I don't know if you've looked out the window today but, ah.." She crossed to the window and stared down. Someone had spray painted "Starve the flu" in giant red letters on the sidewalk below. A nauseating dread churned inside her.

"That's directed at me and Aiden, isn't it?"

"I'm sorry. We've tried to explain that as far as we know you aren't sick at all and that we can't deny food to an innocent kid, but there is a small group of very vocal people who don't want to risk sharing supplies with people who might be dying anyway. Someone even interrupted my dinner last night to suggest that we ought to go ahead execute you both just in case!

Her already exhausted muscles began to tremor. "I suppose it's just human nature, to be afraid when we don't have concrete information." She managed to croak.

He took her by the upper arms and sat her in a student's chair. Then pulled one up to face her. She could feel the warmth of his hands through his gloves and focused on that, letting the sense of contact sink into her skin. "They are running on pure fear and I am afraid for what might happen if it turns out that woman had signs of infection. But I'm not going to let anything happen to you an Aiden. It was my decision to quarantine you in the camp and I will defend that decision if I have to. I wanted to add two guards to the ends of the hall to protect you but Velasquez is the one in charge and he nixed it because there's only one key to that door anyways. So for now just beware, that's all. Lock the door behind me and don't let anyone other than me and the medic in."

He said more and spoke faster than he ever had before and she recognized the sincerity innately. She drew a steadying death and nodded mutely. How could they turn so fast? Just a day ago people had been sending piles of stuff to the room for the boy and now they were suggesting shooting a child? It hardly made sense. "OK. What about my mother. What is she saying?"

"She has been dogging Velasquez heels, insisting that you wouldn't knowingly infect the camp and that you won't lie about symptoms. And she's furious that he won't let her see you. I think she's terrified that she'll lose another child without saying goodbye. For his part, Velasquez is downplaying the risk that you're actually sick and keeps insisting that this room is an effective quarantine. Although he's also decided that anyone coming up to this floor has to wear a suit now. He makes promises to look out for the entire camp but they are being heard two ways."

She snorted. "I bet my mother took that well. She's been texting me to ask how I'm feeling roughly once every five minutes for the last two days." As if on cue, the phone dinged. Her messages had scolded Riley for taking the risk of climbing the tree and contacting the boy, but they still made her feel missed, and she supposed that was a good thing.

"She's a little intense, isn't she? She's literally camped out in the room he's using as an office, took the best chair, and says she's not moving."

Some of the resentment she'd been harboring for her mother over Lucas's death evaporated. "Look, just tell her that I'm OK and get her to take care of herself and Emma. Remind her that she has to be strong for Emma." I struck her how tenuous their position really was, imprisoned, for all intents and purposes, on the third floor of a brick building. If Garth stopped bringing meals, they would die sooner rather than later. She shuddered. She might still be deep in her grief for her brother and anxiety over her father, but she didn't want to die.

His gloved thumb rubbed over her knuckles. "You're shaking. Are you OK? I promise, Velasquez isn't losing hope. He's just cautious. He's a good man. He's not going to let a mob steer him from what he knows is right. At least, that's the man he always was."

"I have a feeling that this is the kind of situation that shows you new sides to people you always thought you knew." She threw her shoulders back. "but if you say not to worry about him then I won't." And that was true. Because she might not have known Garth very long, but she knew him well enough to understand that he wouldn't lie to her. He'd tell her the truth, even if it hurt her. "My brain just tripped over the incongruity of thinking about how three weeks ago I was trying to console myself that I probably wouldn't make this year's Olympic gymnastics team without seriously improving my floor routine, and today I am telling myself that there's still a good chance that I won't die."

"You're not going to die." The certainty in his voice was comforting even if she knew there was precious little he could do about it, either way. If she'd been talking to her mom or even her dad she would have lost it. As it was, the tears were threatening. Behind the mask his face stayed impassive. "But I hate to break it to you. You might have to wait more than four years on the Olympics." He said it so matter-of-fact that at first it didn't register as a joke. Unbidden, a giggle bubbled up before she could catch it. He matched her giggle with a short chuckle. "I'm not sure if I should take it as a good sign that your spirits remain so high or a sign that you don't understand the gravity of the situation. Either way. I need to go. The sooner we figure out what the deal is with this woman they found, the sooner we can hopefully clear you two from quarantine."

Before he could leave she reached out and grasped his forearm. "This is going to sound strange, I mean, I know we hardly know each other and all, but could you just like, give me a hug. I could really use that right now." It was an impulsive request but as soon as she asked it she had a tremendous craving to feel his arms around her. She knew he would be like an anchor she could rely on for stability.

He froze, staring down his long nose at her, eyes hooded. "You want to hug my germ laden safety suit?"

She stepped back, reality slapping her yet again. "Yeah, no, it was stupid really. I just..." She bit her lip and then realized she was doing it so she clamped them together while her cheeks burned. "I just really wanted to hug you, I mean someone. I mean, you look like you'd be able to give really good hugs. I…It was a foolish idea. Yeah, nevermind. Go now, before I turn into a blubbering baby on you."

Garth half turned to go and then stopped. Even through the saggy paper fabric she could see the indecision in the way he held himself stiff and yet yielded in turning toward her. Finally he sighed. "Look, when I can take this suit off you can hug me then, ok?"

Something stirred in her gut. It was a nervous anticipation she hadn't felt in a long time. "Alright." She squared her shoulders. "I can hold on a few more days. I'm not some weakling woman. I am Riley Louise Slattery, all the vim and vigor of a full size redhead packed into a convenient travel size."

She thought he might have winked at her. "That's more like the Betty I know. I'll update you as soon as we know anything." With that he left her alone with her restless energy again. She eyed Aiden, snoring softly under a light blanket. By now he knew enough to check the bathroom if he woke up alone but just to be safe she left the door open.

The water in the shower was cool but it still felt good to wash away her sweat. And this time, her tears. "Just hang in there. It's only a few more days Betty." She whispered to herself. After a good cathartic cry she stepped out to wrap up in a towel. It was going to be OK. At least for the next few days and she'd worry about the rest when they got there.

By the end of that day Riley was sure the woman, whose driver's license listed a Mimi Harris, was Aiden's Nana. He claimed the stuffed dog with a squeal of joy. According to Aiden they walked in the park with his doggie every day and she liked to sing him to sleep. And she made better macaroni and cheese than Riley did. Aiden hadn't cried when she explained that Mimi had gone on to heaven but she had wanted to bawl her own eyes out. She told herself it was silly because she never even knew the woman, but what she had learned from him was enough to know that Mimi had loved him with all her heart.

It took a long sleepless night before the medical team determined that she had died of uncontrolled diabetes. "Blood sugar over 400." The medic who did their daily blood draws reported. "The poor old lady was probably a little addled by the time she succumbed with sugars like that." He shook his head and clucked over the bruises on the back of Riley's hands. "With any luck you and the boy only have two more blood draws before you're cleared." He wrapped her fingers around a balloon filled with sand and began poking around her inner elbow for a vein. "The lady must have known though. She had a test kit in the car but the insulin we found was warm and past its expiration date. Either way, it wasn't enough to keep her going."

She texted the good news to her mother. "We should be out in two days."

Her mother sent a thumbs up which wasn't exactly the positive response she had been hoping for. But her sister, who had been mostly silent through her time in quarantine, sent a page full of animated emojis. But her joy was short lived because her mother soon followed up with a promise to find a good guardian for Aiden. Her protest that she could take care of him was met with a curt "Hector already asked me to work on it."

Finally the last day of their quarantine arrived. Garth handed over a box of granola and a water bottle full of reconstituted milk as he came through the door. "Sorry. It was the best I could do. The truck of supplies we were expecting this morning didn't show up." She had a drawer full of snacks she'd set aside over the last few days so she didn't complain.

Aiden ran over, one arm held out over his head for a high five. "Mr. Hulk!"

"Hey my man. Are you feeling good today?"

"Yeth!" Aiden giggled as Garth gave him a nouggie. "Betty it's Hulk!"

"Oh great, now you have him calling me that too?" She smiled though. Aiden was taking the loss of his family remarkably well but she wondered if that was because he'd latched on to her. What would happen if she passed him on to yet another caretaker?

Garth and Aiden gave her matching grins. "You don't want me to go back to calling you kid again, do you?"

Remembering their first encounter, her cheeks flushed and she glanced at his belt buckle and.."No suit today! Does this mean we can go now?"

The medic came through the door behind Garth. "It does indeed Ms. Slattery. Major Velasquez ordered me to release you as long as you both have normal temps this morning."


	4. Crossroads 4 - Name

Two hundred and forty two years ago, the Second Continental congress was under way in Philadelphia. Tensions between the Colonists and British troops had been running high all spring and although the early skirmishes had been decidedly in the favor of the Colonists, the Congress recognized the need to form a unified army. The New England troops were loosely organized and the officers in other states were under no obligation to follow their orders so on June 14th they made provisions for a grand army. On the 15th they determined the structure and selected Colonel George Washington as the General and Commander in Chief. George Washington humbly accepted his commission on Friday June 16th. (If you have not read the Journals of the Continental Congress I highly recommend them. The lack of ego expressed by Washington as he accepts his commission is very inspiring.) Shortly thereafter the Congress laid out a structure for the Army which included among other positions one Chief Engineer with two assistants. Thus the engineering branch was actually the first formal component of the Army to be established. The first Chief Engineer was to be paid sixty dollars a month. The day after, while Washington was en route to Boston, the British attacked Breed's Hill in what became known as the Battle of Bunker Hill. And although it was considered a loss for the Colonists, the hasty construction of a redoubt on the peninsula the Colonists were defending is probably the reason that the British suffered 1054 causalities and loses to the Colonists' 405 despite out numbering the Colonists at least 2 to 1. Essayons!

**Name, Goo Goo Dolls**

Garth carried a box of Riley and Aiden's things down from the quarantine room and waited for them in the main entry hall of the school. He immediately sent a few young guys up to begin cleaning and preparing the room again, just in case they needed to quarantine someone again. Although, after his conversation with Velasquez this morning, he had a feeling they would be closing the gates on this camp soon which should reduce their risk considerably. He'd asked to stay here, but Velasquez was hinting that he might promote him soon and Garth had a hunch it was so he would feel better sending him off to open another camp. It might make Velasquez feel better about sending him off alone, but it certainly wouldn't make Garth any better prepared for the additional responsibility. Besides, he felt an obligation to the people here now. But he supposed Velasquez's choices were limited.

"I know someone who is looking forward to meeting you!" He watched as she stood at the landing and squeezed Aiden's hand. It was hard to imagine that only a week ago he'd questioned if she knew enough to care for the boy.

Beside her, Aiden's head swiveled too and fro as he looked through the bustle of people in the main hallway. "Mimi?"

Riley crouched down and pulled him close. "No honey. Remember we talked about that? Mimi went to heaven. But remember when we looked at all those silly face pictures yesterday? That was Emma; she's my sister and she is going to love you."

His little chin quivered but he gave an exaggerated nod. "I 'member." His solemn little voice twisted his heart. How many people had the kid already lost in his short life?

Riley's sister dashed past him with a quick "Hi Garth" and met the pair halfway down the stairs with a squealing hug. "Oh I missed you soo much Riri!" She crouched down to where Aiden was clutching her hand. "And you must be Aiden. Hi. I'm Emma." The blond stuck out her hand for a shake but the little boy just ignored it and pressed his face into Riley's thigh. It was a move Garth had seen many times when he tried to engage the little kids around the camp. He had to admit it was reassuring to see that even someone as sunny as Emma got the same response some times. Emma straightened and hugged her sister again. "It's ok Aiden. We'll get to know each other later." Riley flashed him a glowing smile as she hugged Emma again and Garth wondered if Riley, who was much less exuberant, realized how much alike she and her sister looked when she relaxed and smiled freely.

She bent and picked up Aiden, letting him hide his face in her shoulder. As they swept past and into the hallway that led out to the camp side of the building he heard her ask Emma, "Did you talk to Mom? What did she say?"

Garth was called away to deal with one crisis after another and it was 1800 before he had a chance to even think about how Riley and Aiden were faring. Although there was a light drizzle, the temperatures were still in the high eighties and mosquitoes were having a field day, leaving everyone trapped in their muggy tents feeling cranky and out of sorts. Today's challenges included a noise complaint in Section17, facilitating a meeting about using part of the school for children's activities, and taking reports from seven teams of PFCs returning to camp from scouting and fact finding missions. He left his summary on Velasquez' desk and made his way toward the mess tent alone. Most of his recent duties were all well above his grade but he just kept doing his best and wondering when the cavalry was going to show up.

"Corporal Simpson, you look beat." PFC Chan passed him with a loaded tray. "It's late for your dinner! Were you caught up in that big row in sector 12?"

Section 12? That was where the Slattery's tent was located. His heart beat a little faster. If anything happened to RIley or the boy because he hadn't pushed Velasquez to make sure there was no more ill will floating around the camp he'd never forgive himself. He stepped to the side of the line. "What happened? Tell me everything John."

"Oh, just a cat fight of sorts. Old lady Slattery and her daughter had it out about the boy. Started shouting that the girl was disrespecting her brother's memory by bringing in another kid and all shorts of crazy shit. Oh my God, you should have seen it man. The mama was shouting and carrying on and that chick sure as hell gave as good as she got. She's got one dirty mouth I'll tell you that! Cursed up a blue streak telling off her own mother! They seemed like such a nice family too. Goes to show that you never know. Ya know?" Garth snorted. Yeah he knew. Flashes of every argument he'd ever had with his father came back to him; his father asking him why he couldn't just sit the fuck still in class, why couldn't he focus like his brothers, asking him why he had to be so impulsive and defiant at every turn.

Where are they now?" He set his tray on a nearby table and scanned the mess tent. None of the Slattery family were there.

"I dunno. The girl was gathering her things to move out. Guess she probably headed over to the supervised minors area. Velasquez called me out to section 3. Those Maryland State Patrol guys were out talking to the people waiting in line again. Making all the same promises about a quarantine area with air conditioning, beds, and fresh food for the people that pass their interview process." Shit, he had no idea what those Staties were doing, but they kept coming and recruiting people from the evaluation line and driving them off somewhere. Either they all made the cut or they were dying before they could make it back. Either way, something seemed shady about it. Velasquez was wary of them too but he felt his hands were tied. It wasn't like they were kidnapping people.

He thanked Chan and re-joined the line for food, his feet mechanically following the muddy ruts that had been worn into the grass over the last two weeks. As he shuffled forward toward another bland bag of whatever, a family with three kids got in line behind him. The mother was lecturing a teenager to stop complaining about the packaged food. After all, did he want to eat what was provided and be safe or did he want to risk his life outside the gates for a salad that any other time in his life he would have rejected as too healthy? It had been four weeks since Garth had a fresh meal and he understood exactly where the kid was coming from. What he wouldn't give for a salad right about now. As he neared the front of the line he could see that the bin of MREs was almost empty. It would probably take the two privates running the food tent a few minutes to get the next one opened. He quickly counted the number of people in line and the number of food packs left. With a sigh, he grabbed an apple from a picked over box on the next table and got out of line. He would find something later.

But after searching the camp high and low for Riley and Aiden he was too exhausted. Her mother was in a snit and told him on no uncertain terms that Riley was welcome to come home, but not with that boy. She wasn't in the unaccompanied minors section either. And her sister, who had organized a pickup volleyball night in the school gym, dismissed his questions saying, "If you knew her as well as I do, you'd know that by tomorrow she will have drafted an emancipated minors policy for the camp and lined up supporters to help her convince Velasquez. Trust me. My sister will be fine. She's tougher than she looks." He agreed but he still worried. So he had walked all the sections, asking people if they had seen her. Some responses had been helpful but many had said that it served her right given that she'd brought the boy into the camp. As the twilight deepened and mosquitoes rose up out of the grass, people began to disappear into their tents. Exhausted, hungry, and feeling guilty that she was getting blamed for what was ultimately his decision, he headed for the tent he shared with Chan.

One foot into the place he'd been living for the last four weeks and he stopped short. It was pitch black inside but the sound of delicate snoring told him Chan was definitely not in residence. He fumbled to turn on his phone and hold it up for light. Chan's bed was occupied by a tiny form. The little boy was curled up under a light blanket and sucking his thumb, no doubt fast asleep. A brown patch of dead grass marked the spot where Chan's locker and duffel had sat at the foot of the cot. Sometime between when he'd been in the mess hours ago and now, he must have moved out. He turned the light toward his own bed. Although it was against policy, he had substituted an air mattress for the cot he'd been issued. At his height, his feet hung off the end either way but the gently curved edge of the airbed was significantly more comfortable than the metal frame of a folding cot. If they had the proper number of officers he probably would have been found out long ago, but given that everyone was overworked, no one had time to write him up for it. And there, smack dab in the middle of the comfy place he'd hoped to spend at least five uninterrupted hours, was a shock of curly red hair. Incredulous, he gently shook her bare shoulder.

"Too tired. You can yell at me in the morning." She slurred as she rolled over and wrapped colorful quilt more tightly around herself. Indeed in the artificial glow of the cell phone her pale cheeks were marred by dark circles.

He slumped to the edge and the air redistributed with a shush. He didn't know if she meant she or he was too tired but either way, he was having this conversation with comfy feet. He shut off the phone light and began to unlace his boots in the dark. The camp was unusually quiet on account of the rain and for a few minutes he just sat and wrinkled his toes. After that he shucked his BDU shirt. It had cooled off this evening, but his sweaty tee shirt still clung to him. Stripping it off he stretched over head and enjoyed the feeling of cool air rushing over his bare skin. He glanced over at her and wondered if she'd be offended if he shucked his pants. He needed a shower and a meal and a decent night's sleep for once. The prospect of a sweaty night spent in dirty clothes was completely unappealing. "Fuck it. It's my tent and my bed." He toed off his socks and wiggled his bare feet with glee. His pants joined the growing laundry pile. Yep, that was totally worth it. Stretching out, carefully maintaining a decent space between them he pondered how to handle the inevitable fallout in the morning. On the one hand, Chan had moved his stuff so he obviously didn't mind. But on the other hand, shacking up with a teenage girl wasn't exactly going to make him look good. But he was asleep before he came to any conclusions.

He woke to the soft sounds of bird calls. Opening his eyes slowly he was surprised to see Riley was already up. She had her back turned to him and was pulling a tee shirt over her head. He cleared his throat. "Ah, good morning?"

She whirled around and met his gaze her cheeks slightly pink. "How long have you been watching me?"

He shifted to sit, hunching over since there wasn't anything to lean against. He was still only half awake. At least that was the excuse he was going with for why he gave her a lazy grin. "Long enough to give up on the idea of using you for a teddy bear."

"Ha ha." She deadpanned. "I need to stretch my legs, clear my head. Can you watch Aiden for twenty minutes while I take a quick jog?" Almost as soon as they had set up the camp a group had begun jogging the fence lines in the mornings but he'd never seen her in the group. With her flaming hair he would have noticed immediately.

"Yeah, sure. But if you're still planning on me yelling at you this morning you need to be back by 0630. I need to hit the mess tent before I get to work or I really will be in Hulk mode today."

The grin she shot him as she bounced out of the tent was pure gold. "You're messed in the head Garth."

Yeah, who was he kidding. He wasn't going to yell at her any more than he was going to toss Aiden out of the compound. He shoved the blanket off and rose. Even in the center of the tent he couldn't stand up straight so he quickly set about finding enough clothes to step outside. The garments he'd tossed on the ground last night were tucked into a laundry bag he hadn't seen before and his boots stood neatly paired by the entry flap. Usually he was a light sleeper but he bet gymnasts could move silently when they anted to. He pulled a clean uniform out of his duffel and dressed quickly. His stomach growled so he dug in his bag for a snack but all he came up with was a slightly squashed energy bar and a pack of gum. Well if he couldn't brush his teeth the gum was better than nothing.

He took a seat in his only chair, a black canvas folding kind with a Pittsburg Penguins logo on the back that he'd kept in his truck for tailgating, and put his bare feet up on the overturned milk crate that used to house his jumper cables and tow rope. Now in the daylight he could see that Chan had moved almost all his things out and neatly stacked Riley and Aiden's items from the classroom. He wondered how Riley had made that happen. She'd also moved his other current belongings from a pile at the foot of the bed to a neat arrangement at the head. They consisted of a rolling tool box he used like a trunk, his standard issue duffel, and a few textbooks. It seemed ridiculous that he'd kept those now. There wasn't an internet anymore, never mind an online bachelor's degree program. The fact that he'd spent all that money on something that was now likely worthless didn't rankle half as much as the idea of all the time lost. Chan's pile of things had been even smaller than his. Riley's belongings on the other hand consisted of a Navy duffel with about twenty visible repairs and patches, a stack of clear plastic drawers on wheels, a large trunk, a worn lavender and green quilt, and a battery powered camping light. A mess of cables connected an extension cord he'd never seen in his tent before to several electronic devices. While he'd been busy searching for her last night, she'd apparently made herself at home. He ran a hand over his scruffy face completely at a loss for how to respond.

There was a shuffle outside the tent and he looked up to see a man waiting outside, one of Velasquez's overly formal pink message slips in his hand. He sighed and reached for his boots. As soon as Riley returned from her jog, full of promises that it was "just temporary until I can get my mother to see reason.", he'd had to dash off to deal with one situation after another. And so without even discussing it, he acquired a new, albeit decidedly better looking, roommate.


	5. Crossroads 5 - The World Has Turned

**The World Has Turned and Left Me Here, Weezer**

It didn't take long to settle into a rhythm of activities to keep Aiden busy during the day. Riley was amazed at how much structure had appeared in the camp during the week she and Aiden were quarantined. With over 3600 people there were plenty of jobs to do and many had taken up the mantle of organizing activities related to their former occupations. She wasn't surprised that people had taken on the janitorial, food service, and laundry jobs. After all, there wasn't much to do to keep each tent clean. But Velasquez had also opened the second floor of the school as an office space and suddenly there was a very poorly equipped medical and dental clinic, two psychiatrists, a banking and accounting room, and several other offices. Someone started a post service and a few former librarians opened the library. There was a schedule of nightly entertainment events and a wide variety of daytime workshops and meetups. A few former teachers were running a camp of sorts to keep kids busy and out of trouble while a couple guys even created a crazy multi-sport team competition to break up the monotony. Now the rows of tents were decorated with team colors and the talk in the mess tent was a bit rowdier than the first few weeks.

This had the effect of freeing up Garth and the other Army personnel to spend more time outside the camp seeking supplies. They didn't talk about her new address or hardly even see much of each other, but she took on the chores of cleaning the tent, making the beds, and doing the laundry without being asked. She figured he ought to at least get something for risking his reputation by letting her stay. When he was out of the camp she found herself extra alert for news of the outside. There had been rioting in Washington when it was revealed that the 4th President since June had committed suicide rather than wait to see if a potential breech in the Whitehouse quarantine would turn out to be fatal. And credible reports said that tensions in the Middle East had erupted into a new world war, although who was left to fight in it, she didn't know.

Although Christine refused to have anything to do with Aiden, Riley was able to resume her duties in the intake tent by leaving him with some older ladies in exchange for holding a daily tumbling class. She was just finishing a class when Emma rushed in. "Did you hear the news the team sent back?"

The comfortable sweat she'd worked up assisting three to six year olds in somersaults and cartwheels turned to a clammy chill in an instant. Garth had been headed for Philly today to check on the conditions there. Doing her best to keep her expression neutral she asked, "No, what happened?"

"Apparently a huge section of the city burned to the ground sometime last week! Liberty square, the bell, everything is gone. I was in the communication office when it came in. They said the city is like a ghost town. Both Camp 8 and Camp 9 were decimated with the flu too, although Camp 12 is OK. They said they saw the smoke and locked down everything out of fear."

"But the team is ok?" Fear twisted her gut like a towel in a wringer.

Her sister's eyes turned bright. "Ohhh, worried about someone? He's supposed to be back by tomorrow. They hung flyers about the safe zones but I guess there were hardly any people left in the city. At least that's what Hector said at lunch." Emma continued with a snort. "Apparently he says it's not a moment too soon. The camps are near capacity and he's going to have to make some decisions about what to do next."

That wasn't very reassuring. Riley had heard the rumor that they were going to shut the gates when they hit the 3800 mark. If people continued to show up at the rates they had been, that would happen in three days. Garth's team better hurry.

But his team wasn't back for two more days. And Velasquez refused to answer any of her questions during that time. Still rumors were spreading that something more than rioting had happened in Philly. She saw the trucks pull up while she was headed for her afternoon shift in the intake tent. Stopping under the cover of the school portico she shaded her eyes and and watched the trucks bump along the grass past the two charter buses the Staties were filling. The second they stopped two men jumped out to open a small section of gates. They were fully equipped with body armor and guns and there were men in the back of each truck maintaining a cover on them as well. She didn't remember them doing that the last time.

Some of the people waiting in line for intake began hurrying across the grass toward the fence. That was also new. Usually they ignored the comings and goings, focusing solely on getting permission to enter. But even yesterday she'd noticed that the people coming in had looked even more desperate than usual. Many of them had walked on account of gas stations running dry and they'd had to give quite a few water before they could get a good blood draw. More and more were choosing to go with the Staties to their supposed downtown quarantine area rather than wait in line as well. She was pretty sure she'd heard someone say that they had been promised food and water if they got on the bus but they had passed because part of their family was already in this camp.

The first two men out of the trucks were followed by two more who leveled weapons at the people hurrying across the parking lot toward the new opening. She recognized Garth's booming voice immediately. "Fifty foot perimeter people! Fifty feet! Anyone who gets closer than the other side of that driveway is immediately disqualified for entry. Fifty feet! Get closer and you'll earn a load of lead." She shuddered. She was used to seeing him in uniform but with the body armor and weapon in his hands, he looked formidable. Plus she'd never heard him threaten to shoot anyone. She knew he'd seen action in Nangarhar and Laghman provinces. Still it was different seeing it 100 yards away.

She studied him as he and Findley hovered behind the men threading large chains through the fence, his eyes continuously scanned the people milling in the center of the parking lot. His large body was bent over the carbine and she had no doubt that if he wanted to, he could pick out anyone he wanted from the line. By contrast, Findley fidgeted nervously as he scanned the crowd. She reminded herself of all the times she'd seen Garth be kind to people in the camp. And that he was polite and courteous to her mother and sister too. But it was hard to reconcile that person with the man currently barking orders, stopping only to send Specialist Goodwin off, undoubtedly to inform Velasquez that they were back. Another man asked him something and he shook his head, his lips pressed tight, jaw square. She supposed that must be what her dad was like on the job. She certainly never imagined him sitting around his ship doing needlepoint either. He'd always be in the thick of it, advising the younger sailors, staying on top of everything going on. Garth was like that too. Others gravitated toward decisive men like them.

The people who had headed for the fence stopped, and with some confused shouting, turned back toward the tent, where she supposed she ought to be heading too. "Slattery? You gonna join us anytime soon or just keep drooling over the boss?" Chan interrupted her thoughts.

"Yeah, I'm coming." With a sigh she finished putting on her smelly suit. With one last glance she caught Garth looking her way, the dark scowl in his face dropped as he made a quick nod. Seeing that he was fine, she waved before slipping inside to relieve another helper.

Unfortunately she didn't get her chance to ask him what he'd discovered. When she escorted her last family for the evening to the locker rooms she noticed that the trucks were being packed again. Before she'd even made it to get Aiden for dinner she'd heard the new news. Camp 5 wasn't responding to their communication attempts. The teams were headed back out to go see what was going on. The nervous chatter of the mess felt like blaring sirens in her ears and she couldn't stomach her Tabasco flavored sawdust, no matter how hungry she had been before heading in to dinner. As soon as Aiden was happily gobbling up his instant macaroni she asked her sister to keep an eye on him. "I've got something urgent to do."

She jogged back to their tent, not wanting to outright run and scare people but hoping to get there before he left. But when she burst through the flap she found the tent exactly how she'd left it that morning. She dropped the entrance flap in a move that was half irritation that he'd left again without even really saying hi and half worry about how serious it must be if he didn't even stop in the mess tent to see Aiden. She scanned the room for a sign that he'd even been there. A sense of dread gnawed at her gut as she saw he'd left something sitting on the notebook she used for her planning and listmaking. It was the velcro insignia patch from the front of his uniform. She recognized it as his by the frayed threads on the upper left corner. She was surprised to see a bold looping script fill the open page beneath it.

"Dear Betty, Unfortunately I have been sent away with a new rank and new orders before I could even see you. By now you must know about Camp 5 going silent. There's more to it than that. Mueller is dead. I'm taking a small team to find out what has happened and secure the camp if need be. I don't know if it is due to fear of the Red Flu or fear of carrying out my orders but this time I am not sure I will be back. You can consider the contents of the tent yours. You know where the keys to my truck are. There is some cash taped to the bottom of the tray in my toolbox. If you need anything you can rely on Chan. He's a good man and understands how things are with your mother. For Aiden's sake, do not give up hope. It has been an honor to know you Betty. I hope to see you again sometime. Sgt. Hulk."

Her hand shook as she read between the lines and her blood boiled. Garth had been promoted so he could deal with Camp 5 independently. All because Velasquez didn't have the stomach to go out there and see to the distasteful job of locking it down himself! Slipping the patch in her pocket she marched from her tent. The Major usually attended the evening events before returning to his office to work into the late night so she headed for the gym. Crossing the open space between the tents and the building she squinted in the muggy twilight fog. The two trucks were gone again.

Sure enough, the Major was sitting in the front row, watching as some elementary aged kids put on a talent show in their pajamas. Her mother, Emma, and Aiden were on either side. She waited until the shopping cart derby finished to dart in front of the bleachers.

"Betty!" Aiden clapped, oblivious to the angry flush she surely must be sporting. "Hey Betty, sit here!" He tried to wiggle off Emma's lap but her sister was more sensitive to her mood and held fast.

"Major, I need to speak to you, outside."

His brows shot up toward his buzzed hairline. "Unless it's an emergency, it can wait until after the show." His dark eyes implored her to sit down. But she wouldn't; this was an emergency of sorts.

"Please, I need to talk to you, about Camp 5, not in public." She hissed.

Her mother leaned around him. "Sit down Riley. You're making a scene!"

Ignoring her mother she pressed on. "Did you send a group to kill Camp 5?" She tried to keep her voice low but a collective gasp sounded around them.

"Riley Louise! You don't know what you are talking about!" Her mother gripped the Major's hand, eyes wide, as she scolded her.

Velasquez stood abruptly. "My office, now!" He ground out.

As they turned to go Aiden reached out to her. "Watch dancing?"

She looked down at his big eyes, turned up to her, so trusting, the very reason she had to know what was going on. Her heart squeezed just a little more than it did usually. Thus far they had cruised along assuming they would stay here until the flu ran its course or someone came up with a vaccine. And then she'd find a relative or something for Aiden and her life would go back to normal. But how could that happen if they stopped playing by the rules of civilized society? What would there be to go back to? She stopped mid stride, crouched down, and wrapped her arms around him. His curly hair smelled of the sun and she closed her eyes, drinking it in.

"Young lady, I expect you to double time it!" Velasquez glared down at her from a few paces away.

She kissed Aiden's cheek. "I'd like to watch the dancing but I have to go make sure the Hulk gets to stay a good guy, ok?

Aiden nodded into her neck. "OK, see you later Betty."

He climbed back up next to Emma and she mouthed a silent "Thank you" to her sister before trailing the Major toward the interior of the school.

As soon as the double doors to the gym closed behind them her mother launched into a tongue lashing. "Your melodramatics in there were uncalled for!"

Her pulse skyrocketed. "Why do you think I asked to talk in private in the first place?"

Her mother whirled to a stop and faced her toe-to-toe. "Don't you take that tone with me. I don't care how high and mighty you think you are now. You are still my daughter and you will talk to me with respect!" Christine's blond ponytail whipped over her shoulder as she turned toward the Major. "You need to apologize to Hector for making trouble and then you need to seriously think about how your actions affect the safety of this camp! This is the second time in two weeks you have gone stirring up trouble. That's unacceptable behavior for a Slattery and I won't tolerate it."

That was the last straw. She'd tried to be compassionate when her mother acted as if Emma and Riley weren't also mourning their brother because she figured there must be nothing worse than losing a person you had carried inside you. To be more vast than losing someone you thought you'd grow old with, a pain that still made her want to scream in anger, it must be of a magnitude she just couldn't understand. And she had accepted that the risks she took in saving Aiden would not be welcomed by everyone in the camp. She hadn't pushed her mother to accept Aiden after her mother had all but kicked her out of their tent. But she would not stand aside and let what might be happening to Camp 5 happen here. If there was anything that could be done, she had to do it. She was bound by her personal ethics, the ethics her parents raised her with, to do something about it.

"Christine! It's OK. I understand that Riley is upset." Velasquez laid a hand on her mother's forearm. His voice softer than she'd ever heard it. "Go and get us all some coffee. I suspect it's going to be a long night."

She expected her mother to argue, but she did exactly as Velasquez had asked, simply shaking her head and swinging back down the hallway the other way. "Fine. Fine. But you behave yourself girl. I'll be back in a few minutes."

As soon as her mother rounded the corner Velasquez resumed his march down the hallway. "Let's get on with it before she gets back then." He held the door to his office and she brushed past, but she ignored his gesture toward a chair.

The second the door shut she launched into her questioning. There was no time to spare. "Did you send Garth and his men to shut down Camp 5? Are they going to cut it off? Take their resources and bring them here? You could be sending them to their deaths! What happens if they get the flu doing the work you are too scared to leave camp to do? What if they die there? Or if they bring it back here? Huh? What will we do then? We need to batten down the hatches here. We can't spare Garth and his men for this!"

She ignored him when he muttered something about know-it-all-teenagers-meddling-in-things-they-don't-understand. "I saw how the team entered the camp without suits on. You need to clamp down on that. That could be how Camps 8 and 9 were infected. If the team goes to Camp 5 and…"

"It wasn't the flu. At least not in Camps 8 and 9. Sergeant Simpson's team is headed to Camp 5 to confirm what I suspect." She met his eyes involuntarily and for the first time realized how haggard he looked. Sure, his uniform was an impeccable as always. He must have shaved for dinner and maybe even run a quick rag over his belt buckle and shoes. But there were deep bags under his eyes and his voice shook a little as he turned and stopped pacing.

Her brain struggled to keep up. Not the flu? "What you suspect? People attacked them for supplies? I can tell they are getting desperate. The people coming in are starv.."

"No. Not ordinary people. But I don't know. It doesn't make sense. What Simpson, what they all reported, it just doesn't make sense." He slumped into a chair. "Riley, I am doing all I can to make sure my men and women, and everyone in here stays safe. Can you just believe me on this?" His voice cracked a little. "I'm not staying here because I'm scared of going out there. I'm staying here because we may have a situation brewing and the one thing I can do better than others is work on a long term plan for us all, all the camps." He dropped into his chair at the end of his appeal and dropped his face into his hands for a moment before turning to stare up at her, unblinking.

Maybe she had jumped to conclusions, just a bit. "I believe you but people in here, we deserve to know what's going on out there." And she desperately wanted to know. What if Garth never came back? Her hands were shaking so she sat in one of the square visitor's chairs and crossed her arms over her chest. "I deserve to know." It was as close as she would come to begging him to tell her.

He leaned forward, his elbows flat against the desk, chin propped on his hands as if he lacked the strength to hold up his head. "Other people, not all of them are strong like your family. Even in your family you have different levels of coping skills. Look at the way your mother handled your brother's death."

"But I can handle it. And if it's all that bad, you need people to help you decide what to do about it." She hoped he bought that. She had no idea if she really could take another round of bad news. But at that point she would have said anything to get him to tell her what was going on.

He stared at her and she stared right back. Finally he relented. "I can't believe I'm taking on a seventeen year old advisor but ok. What I say here does not leave this room. At least until we know more."

At last! She leaned on the desk opposite him, voice low but firm. "I promise. You can trust me on my honor as a Slattery."

"Those State Police guys are involved in something that goes way beyond a state run quarantine area in downtown Baltimore. Philly didn't burn from rioting. There was a battle there, a military conflict. The teams found tanks, artillery units, and possible evidence of mass executions."

She stared at him unblinking. "Who would attack us? Who could? The US hasn't had a foreign artillery bombardment since Orleans in 1918!"

"Didn't know you were such a military history buff."

She shook her head. "I'm not but Garth is obsessed with World War I. Insists military engineers are the reason we're not all speaking German now. You do know how good he is, right?" She meant good in the sense of work ethic and dedication but surely Velasquez understood how good he was as a man too.

"Yeah, in any other circumstances I'd be pressing him to think about OCS. It may be an accident that he's in the Army, but it's a damn good fit."

An accident? She wondered what that meant but dismissed it for another time. "So do you have any idea who is attacking us?"

"Yeah, Yeah I do." He turned his computer screen toward her and began clicking through a file of images. Among the craters and broken buildings there recognizable landmarks. She saw an upturned trailer with a Howitzer type gun and noted with a sinking realization that what looked like charred logs lying against a building was actually human remains. He flipped to another picture, of a row of bodies, all face down. A bright blue keystone clearly visible on the shoulders of their BDUs. In another image the door of a Maryland State Patrol car half covered the body of a man in full riot gear. On and on the pictures went. After downtown Philly they moved on to Camp 8, which had been located at the airport. The fence line had been demolished by armored vehicles and trucks had left deep ruts. There was an eerie lack of bodies. The same for Camp 9.

"I don't understand." She couldn't muster up more than a horrified whisper.

The wounded look in his eyes made so much more sense now. "I don't either." He rasped. "That's why I sent them to Camp 5. We need to figure out what the hell is going on before the same thing happens again. Why would the Pennsylvania National Guard and the Maryland State Patrol be battling? They should be on the same side!" He pulled out a sheet of paper and handed it over to her. It was an accounting of the camp numbers as of the day before. She skimmed past the twelve columns to where Garth's bold handwriting added to the columns of numbers below two of them. "We had over five thousand people in those two camps but Simpson's team found fewer than 200 bodies in each. And the people's belongings were missing too. Of the twelve camps we started with six weeks ago, only three are still operating."

Shit! She set the paper down, ducking her head as shame prompted a deep prickle to blossom at the roots of her hair. She knew without a doubt that her cheeks were flaming red. "I didn't know. I didn't know there were so many other camps, so many other people under your command. Or that things were going so badly. I'm sorry for being so judgmental." It had always been one of her worst traits.

He slipped the paper back into a folder. "How could you have known? You shouldn't have to know any of this. At your age you should be enjoying being a kid. Heck, so should Garth. I have been part of a small group pushing to raise the age of enlistment to 21 instead of 18 for years." He ran a hand over his face. "But neither of you are typical kids either I suppose. That's why I'm willing to tell you anything at all."

She heard a noise in the main office. "Does my mother know?"

"Sort of. Now that she's gotten her feet back under her, she's stronger than you give her credit for." As if on cue there was a knock on the door. "Come in Christine."

She slid into the room, two mugs in her hand. "I got stopped by no fewer than six different people wanting to know what the heck Riley was talking about." She narrowed her eyes on Riley even as she passed over a mug. "You better have apologized young lady." And like that Riley went from feeling almost like a peer to being relegated to child mode again.

"It's ok Chrissy. I think we've come to an understanding. Riley was worried about Simpson, and rightfully so. Things are dangerous out there. But I've assured her he is a professional. I think we'll keep the teenage hysterics to an acceptable level from now on."

Her mother nodded and crossed her hands over her chest, awaiting a confirmation. With a sigh Riley set the coffee on the edge of the desk. It was sweet and light, not the way she liked it anyway. "Yes Sir."

Velasquez looked at the clock over the door. "Very well. I imagine it is close to young Aiden's bedtime by now. I promise I will update you as soon as I hear anything about Sargent Simpson's well being. Until then, thank you for your work in the camp." He dismissed her by gesturing to her mother to come around the desk. "Now Christine, we need to discuss procuring more suits somehow. What ideas have you come up with?"

He may have convinced her that he wasn't as much of a lazy coward as she had though before, but it was still hard to stomach watching her mother fawn over a new man. She walked out of the office without so much as a backwards glance. The time had come to begin making her own survival plans.


	6. Crossroads 6 - Everlong

**Everlong, Foo Fighters**

Garth was asleep when the trucks pulled back into camp around 2 AM. Specialist Goodwin shook him awake. "Sargent, we're almost there." Even after three days on the road, the new rank sounded foreign to his ears. If the responsibility of the position didn't terrify him, the knowledge of what had happened to Mueller did. Mueller had been the commanding officer on his first tour in the Middle East. He'd been in awe of him from day one. But instead of the vital man who had once waded into the muddy Kabul River to drive anchor posts along side his men, he'd found a bloody shell. Clearly beaten, his body had been left for the Army to find as a warning; he was sure of it. He scrubbed a hand over his face and tried to maneuver himself into an upright position. With his knees pressed against the back of the passenger's seat, there wasn't much he could do to get comfortable until they could get out. Well, if he was being honest with himself, he'd be restless and unnerved until they got back and he could see for himself that everyone was ok.

In front of him, Captain Tyrone Harris stretched his equally long legs and stared wide eyed at the long line of people waiting to get into the camp. When he saw the bus and the Maryland State Patrol cars his head whipped around, the whites of his eyes shining bright under the streetlights. "That's them. Those were the uniforms on the guys that razed the other camp. We need to get rid of them right away." The survivors had explained to Garth how the Staties had gotten more and more aggressive with people entering Camp 5 until they had incited the rioting that lead to a faceoff with the Pennsylvania National Guardsmen. He'd found it hard to believe. Sure, he didn't understand why they were trying to recruit people in line here when there were plenty of people who needed somewhere to go, but seeing the panic in the other man's eyes brought an anxious churning to Garth's empty gut. The survivors of Camp 5 lauded the heroism of the guardsmen who had arrived just in time to rescue a few of them, but Mueller's own notes indicated he'd taken a meeting with a Major Selkirk two days before. Selkirk had warned him to discourage people from going with the Staties. He was convinced they were being sent to work camps for a warlord. Mueller's note in the margin to "Send a team to Baltimore to follow up ASAP." didn't tell him enough to know if it was good intel or not. And Captain Harris wasn't able to help either. He'd been in Pittsburgh at the time and had only come this far east when he stopped receiving any radio communication from Selkirk.

"One thing at time. We'll brief Velasquez and he'll decide what to do about them." Garth reached behind the seat for his gun. "Goodwin, take us around behind the field house. Less chance of any issues with civilians waiting outside the fence."

"Wait!" Harris raised a hand to where a bandage covered a large gash on his head. "Before I go in there, can you promise me that you won't tell Aiden that we were hiding when you found us?"

Goodwin pressed her lips together. She'd already told Garth in private what she thought of the man. But in Garth's view her criticism was short sighted. Without Harris they would have never found out that the Staties were getting so aggressive in recruiting people. Besides, what did she expect him to have done, commanded his unit to face off against artillery fire with no protection? Even in Afghanistan they'd usually had structures or even caves to hide in. "What you tell Aiden is up to you. But the Major will need to know all the details."

He ducked outside and took up a position by the front bumper of the truck. But as much as he should be watching the corner of the field house to see if anyone had followed them, his eyes kept straying toward section 2. It would likely be hours before he made it back to his own tent and he craved the comfort of his airbed and the peace of mind of knowing that Riley and Aiden were OK.

Riley woke with a start. She'd always been an early riser but waking before the sun was fully up wasn't normal even for her. An unfamiliar sniffle had her rolling over so fast she went right off the side of the unsteady airbed. She felt firm hands slide under her arms and begin to haul her to her feet as she made out a man she'd never seen before kneeling next to Aiden's cot and singing softly in a deep baritone. "What the…"

"Shhhhh." The hands shifted to steady her and she realized it was Garth. "That's his father." There was an awe in his voice as he drew her back against him, one arm across her middle to keep her from following her first instinct and going to protect Aiden. Although as she watched, she came to the conclusion that he didn't need any protection. The man drew a gentle finger down Aiden's cheek, stopping his song to whisper "He's already grown some." She let herself be supported as she held her breath to see how the boy reacted.

Aiden stirred under his touch and opened his eyes a fraction. They closed again and she thought he might not be fully awake. Finally, with a soft smile, the one he made when he reached for Doggie or she zipped him into his red sweatshirt, he began to sit up. The man she didn't know kept singing, but there was a new tremor in his voice. A thick lump formed in her throat.

"Daddy?" It was a tiny, disbelieveing whisper at first. Then his eyes flung wide open. "Daddy?" He flung himself into the man's arms. "Oh Daddy! Betty it's my Daddy!" He dissolved into tears even as his skinny arms encircled the man's neck and slid into his lap. He was both crying and laughing at the same time. "You have a boo boo!"

The man's voice cracked as he explained to Aiden that he would heal and that he knew about Mimi and that Aiden's mother was safe in Pittsburgh. The sense of intruding into someone's private moment became overwhelming and she turned into Garth's chest with a sniffle. The letter he'd left, undoubtedly intended to make her worry less, had completely failed. Instead, after everything Velasquez had told her, she'd been anxious and cranky. And now, with his arms around her, the scent of him surrounding her, she was finally able to relax. It might only be for a few days, but she intended to make sure he slept and ate and got everything he needed before he had to go back out there again. As she melted into him she said, "I think it's time for me to cash in on that hug you promised me."

The rumble of laughter under her ear was the best thing she'd heard in days. "Consider it on the house."

Aiden was chattering away to the man she now knew was Captain Harris. "So where did you find him?"

"Trying to help a group of survivors from Camp 5. He left Aiden and his grandmother here while he and his wife reported to their guard units in Harrisburg. He got sent back two days ago to find out what happened to their commanding officer after they suddenly lost all contact. The best we can tell is that he was killed in Philly."

She shivered into him. "I saw the pictures of Camp 8. If Camp 5 was anything like that, it's a miracle that they've found each other."

When he nodded, with his cheek resting on the crown of her head, it mussed her hair all the wrong way. But she didn't care and instead tightened her grip, trying to hold back the huge sobs that threatened to escape along with her leaking tears. She shook witht he effort of holding it in.

His voice was right next to her ear. "Are you sad, that Aiden will be moving on? Is that why you're crying?"

She should have known he'd notice. She rubbed her wet face on his shirt, not caring how unladylike it was, before turning her face up to meet his tired eyes. "No, I'm crying because I'm so happy that it hurts. First you're back safe and whole and then this." She gestured toward Aiden and Captain Harris. "it really is a miracle. There are thousands, probably millions of people struggling just to survive right now. And all these terrible things have happened. And he's a lucky kid, to have a dad who would move heaven and earth to find him. It's like crying at a wedding. This is a better outcome than I ever thought possible."

"Yeah, there's something beautiful about that." He kissed the top of her head. "Don't tell anyone, but the idea makes me a little mushy too. It's the kind of Dad every kid deserves, you know?"

She watched as Aiden grabbed his father by the hand. "Betty, I hungry!"

That was the cue for Garth to make introductions. Captain Harris, who insisted she call him Tyrone, cried when he hugged her and thanked her over and over. Then Chan came by and offered to show the reunited family to the mess and suddenly they were alone.

Garth turned around from where he'd been waving goodbye to Aiden with a promise to meet up after he'd had a chance to rest. Riley was sitting on the edge of the bed, fidgeting with the barrettes that held her overgrown bangs off her face. He knew that if he sat beside her the air mattress would tip her into his side but he did it anyways, enjoying the solid confirmation that she was alive and that this camp was still ok. He wanted to ask her to stay. For the last three days, all he'd thought of was how he needed to suck it up, do the ugly jobs that needed doing, in order to keep her and Aiden safe. It had kept him going when they had counted smoldering bodies on the streets of Philadelphia two days ago. And it had been the reason he'd accepted the hasty promotion and turned around yesterday to find out what was going on in Camp 5. It had been the reason he'd brought Harris back here rather than haul off and chase down Mueller's killers.

But he was also convinced now that they would all be safer somewhere else. Harris wanted to take the survivors of Camp 5 to a lake he knew about in West Virginia and Garth had every intention of asking Velasquez to let him go and help start up a new camp there. Knowing he was likely leaving, it would be wrong to ask her to stay, wouldn't it? He felt the soft rise and fall of her chest where she leaned into him and knew he could be content to just sit here and feel that for hours. It would be one thing if she'd shown any romantic interest in him at all but he knew he was solidly in the friend zone. He knew he was good looking and he probably could seduce her if he tried, but she was seventeen and he was twenty. The sense that it was wrong had been dogging him for weeks now. With his work, he'd never be able to be here like she deserved. But still, he wanted her to stay, more than anything. He hadn't even talked to Velasquez yet and already a huge black hole of futile existance seemed to loom before him.

"Do you think you'll make up with your mother today?" He began unlacing his boots.

Riley shook her head. "I don't think she wants to make up with me. She dismissed everything I was trying to do to keep her and Emma safe. Then she told me she's had enough of all my chaos and drama, as if we should all just go lay down in our tents and wait to see whether the flu or starvation takes us first!" The pain in her voice cut into him. He knew what that felt like, being rejected by a parent, and it wasn't pretty. But he'd survived, maybe even ended up a little better off. He should probably show Christine the benefit of the doubt. After all, he reasoned to himself, it would be wrong to turn Riley away from her mother just because of his selfish to have her.

"She's just human too." At Riley's incredulous brow he was compelled to continue, "She's not that bad. My parents didn't even show up at my high school graduation."

That got her attention and she scooted back to lay on her side, propping her head up on her elbow to listen. "Seriously? So you're not wishing you knew where they were?"

He stretched out, mirroring her pose. "Not hardly! I was a bit of a problem child and they sent me off to military school at 15 to straighten out. They made the decision without talking to me, about twenty minutes after my first screw up in ninth grade."

"That's horrible!"

He hid his grin. Somehow he'd known she'd be on his side. Still, he felt compelled to back up her defense with the worst part. I she understood how uncaring some parents could be, maybe she'd see that her mother was just doing her best to cope under extreme circumstances. "It took a while, but I got it together there, figured out how to behave, how to tame my impulsivity. At graduation I was top of my class, headed to Virginia Tech to study mechanical engineering. My parents didn't show. Instead, after the ceremony the headmaster pulled me aside and gave me a letter from my father. He was very apologetic that he hadn't been able to get it to me before the ceremony. He thought it must be a congratulatory letter and that my father must be very proud of me. Instead, the letter coldly stated that my father had spent my college tuition on my high school. I was 18 and he felt he'd done his duty by me. I was free to be my own man."

Her eyes went wide. "A letter? You at least deserved a face-to-face!"

Garth swallowed. "Well, in his defense, The reason I ended up at Fishburne was that I broke his nose one night when he hauled me home from a night screwing around with my other delinquent friends. It made the papers right in the middle of his first campaign. He didn't want anything to do with me after that." The few people he'd ever told always focused on how his father was a coward or some such nonesense. But the truth was, it was his own fault.

Her tiny body quivered with indignation and she stabbed the bed with her finger. "It doesn't matter. What a cruel thing to do to his own child! It was his job to teach you, not some faculty at a school somewhere where he didn't have to make any effort. What a lazy scumbag. He doesn't deserve to know you've turned out to be such an amazing man, despite his poor influence." He smiled despite himself. Defending himself outright might have felt false, but when she said those things he felt vindicated for the negative feelings he still harbored toward his parents. He'd long ago given up on the idea that other people's opinion mattered for his self worth, but somehow her opinion still mattered to him.

"My father is, or was, a state senator. Before that he ran a bar and was mayor of a coal mine town. And before that he was a Marine. He's dedicated his life to service. He's not a bad man."

"Well," She sniffed loudly. "Marine huh. Are you saying you got all the brains in the family?" His spirits lifted a little further. There was something so normal about a Navy brat razzing on the Marines that he could almost forget the horrible discoveries of the last three days. "He might not be a bad man, but he's not a great man like you are. It's not about status and titles." She went on. "It's about who you are. Take it from someone who has been lucky enough to know some great people."

He smoothed some of the hair that had escaped her barrettes back behind her ear and then let his hand drop to the bed between them. "How did you get so wise for someone so young Betty?"

She laughed softly, with a quick glance toward the tent entrance. "Someone once told me I needed to grow up. I'm trying my hardest." They lay in silent companionship for a minute and he searched for another hair that was out of place just so he'd have an excuse to touch her. Despite the fact that he'd been away for three days, their connection was as concrete as ever. He almost gave in and pulled her toward him when she finally broke the silence "So now I'm curious, what happened after your parents abandoned you? Did you have some big confrontation or something?"

Garth's laugh was a short bark. "Nope. Not hardly. I asked the headmaster what was the absolute last date to move out of my dorm and he gave me three days. It was the best he could do, although he did offer to let me stay with his family as long as I wanted."

She gasped, "Three days!"

"I didn't want to be anyone's charity case so I begged a ride to the local recruiting office. But it was too late int he season to score a ROTC scholarship so the next thing I knew I was on a bus to Fort Leonard Wood for Basic.

"So did you still see your parents after that?" She sighed heavily and the air in the bed readjusted just enough that their knees touched. How could she not see how hard it was for him not to just lean over and kiss her senseless? "Right now I'm not any more interested in talking to my mom than she is to me. But I assume we'll both get over it eventually."

He shrugged and wondered if he ought to sit up again. Maybe it would be safer with more distance between them. "There have been family functions, you know, weddings and funerals and stuff like that. If I'm expected somewhere my father will call me and curtly explain that my mother or my stepmother expects me. And I show up, in a neatly pressed uniform, on my best behavior. And when I've been there long enough to be polite, I leave. It's ok. I'm a bit of a loaner anyways. You kind of get to be when you spend your first 14 years as the class screwup. I like the peace and quiet in my life, the orderliness."

She slipped her fingers into his and squeezed. "I'm sorry Garth, it just sucks. And now Aiden and I have screwed with the good life you've managed to make for yourself. I'll make up with my mother, get out of your tent. I promise."

"Nah, it's alright." He patted the colorful quilt between them, all the while panicking inside. She'd invaded far more than his tent and now she was all but promising to leave. How did he stop that without outright asking her to stay? He held himself as still as possible, wondering how far she'd push it. If she started making plans to go he had two choices, forget right and wrong and beg her not to, or just let go. "I was due for a little color in my life."

Riley shook her red curls. "Well I can provide that! But, is it going to be ok if I still stay here? I can't go back into my mother's tent but I am sure I can find someone else to bunk up with if you don't want me to stay." She looked up at him from beneath her nearly invisible lashes and he wondered if the hopeful look was real or something he was imagining.

"No, it's alright. Let's just give things a few days to settle down. Things will be OK with your mom." He knew what he should say but he couldn't form the words. What would he be living for if she went? "She loves you and your sister. Better not to force anything when everything is all chaotic anyways." That was dangerously close to crossing the line he'd set but he'd be dammed if he didn't give her every chance to decide for herself.

She squeezed his hand. "Oh thank goodness you said that! Because I am totally drained from worrying for the last few days and then with Aiden's Dad arriving on top of that I don't think I could handle the drama of apologizing to her today. If you tried to kick me out I would have argued my case until you gave in, at least for the next night."

He laughed softly and rolled onto his back beside her, leaving their hands connected between them. "Ha, I wouldn't have lasted long. The good thing about being a Hulk, people tend to back down before you ever get to an argument. But you…I don't think I have that kind of power over you. Nothing scares you."

The lines around her mouth folded into deep grooves as she grinned up at the tent canopy. "That's not exactly true, but I don't give up."

"I've noticed. You know you are pretty amazing."

She sat up and he wondered if he'd pushed the friend zone too far and made her uncomfortable. But then she twisted like she was going to stand. "Thanks. I need to hear that every now and then…from someone other than the little voice in my head."

"Anytime Betty." He was going to stay here, while she got up for her day, and catch up on three nights of sleep. There was no question what he'd be dreaming about. But if he knew she'd be back later, he'd be ok.

But she didn't stand up. "You're wrong that I don't get scared, I'm terrified right now. When I first met you, and you made that cruel comment about my Dad.."

He cringed and tried to take back his fingers, but she wouldn't let go. "I really am sorry. I'm so so sorry that I said that. Sometimes I'm a total jerk." It had been the ultimate low point of his morale, for sure.

She placed a hand on his chest. It was soft and gentle, and accepting. He loved that about her. She saw the ugliness in people and accepted them anyways. "I know. But it's ok. It made me so mad because it was true. And I already knew it, was already living with the fear that it was true. But I've come to terms a little with it, I think. I might never see him again. I know I will never see my little brother again. I just hope I live to leave this camp." Her voice dropped to a whisper; her eyes lowered. "I am so afraid that this is where I'll die, in a muddy field next to a dingy brick building. My life won't have meant anything."

"I never felt afraid I'd die when I was overseas. But here, I don't want to die here either. I'm doing my best for this camp, but it might not be enough. The next thing to come at us might be totally beyond our control." Once she'd named his fears more clearly than he ever could it just seemed natural to let them out. "After what I saw in Philly and the other camps, I'm convinced we need to get away from those Staties. I don't know what is going on, but I don't like it. The Major wasn't convinced enough yesterday but Harris and I were talking on the way back last night. He wants to take the Camp 5 survivors to a place he knows in West Virginia, get up in the mountains where it's coolor and less populated." He sighed and ave words to a thought that had just begun to form. The best thing he could do for her was help her survive. "He's not under Velasquez' command." You should go with him even if I can't. You'll have a better chance that way."

She gripped his shirt slightly to keep him from flopping onto his back again. "You know what I think? I think we should make a pact."

"A pact?" Hadn't she heard him? He was trying to tell her how to save herself.

"Yeah, if there's a chance to go, to a different place, a different camp, see something beautiful, do something worthy, let's both go."

"You mean like a pact that neither one of us will let the other die here alone?" Her usually flashing eyes were a deep, dark blue resort, like a swimming hole on an overcast day. And his mind was instantly more calm than it had been had since they got here. There were a million ways this could all play out but she'd just cut through it all and offered one that made sense, no matter what happened.

"Yeah, something like that. But let's be more upbeat about it. Neither one of us will leave the other behind. Then we'll have a purpose, to help each other. Even if the worse happens, here or somewhere else, we won't have failed at life." Didn't she know, she'd already given him purpose? If the camp was suddenly flooded it would be her head he'd look for above the waves.

He nodded slowly. "OK. But you should know, I'm not always good, not like you. I spend most of my life in my own head. I'm often a jerk to people. And you could definitely do better."

Maybe if he'd gone to a co-ed high school and had a few more experiences with girls he would have recognized the look in her eye before she did it. But when she leaned in and lowered her lips to his, it caught him completely off guard. And sure, he wasn't entirely inexperienced. But maybe if all his encounters with girls hadn't been one night stands he would have recognized that her kiss wasn't an innocent "Thank you" before she rolled onto his hips and straddled him. And maybe if he'd had just a tiny bit more willpower he would have resisted when she began undoing his shirt, or when she drew his hands under hers, or when she ordered him to "Stop trying to plan the future and just be alive with me today."

But he didn't resist. And he didn't give any thought to the fact that he ought to consider her off limits when he helped her slip out of her tiny tank top and running shorts. And he certainly was not able to think clearly by the time he was palming her perfect breasts and covering her mouth so that her little moans of pleasure couldn't be heard in the neighboring tents. And at noon, when he woke up feeling her soft skin under his fingertips, he simply began to worship her all over again. Because there were a million reasons why they didn't make sense in his own head, but if they did in hers, who was he to argue?

Riley woke up in the late afternoon to find Garth propped on an elbow, staring down at her. Her first instinct was to reach up and smooth her curls which were almost certainly a mess after sleeping on them in the humid air, not to mention rolling around an air mattress half the day. But as she lifted her arm she realized she was nude. Her eyes shot to Garth's face, only to find him watching her, his mossy green eyes hooded, a tremulous smile leaking from the corners of his mouth. "Hey." She whispered.

"Hey yourself." He didn't move a muscle, just continued to stare at her as if he couldn't believe she was there with him. She reached for the blanket, wondering if he was trying to figure out what to do with her now that she'd thrown herself on him.

But his smile widened and the crinkles around his eyes folded in on themselves as he caught her hand. "You don't have to cover up for me. I was enjoying the view." He waggled his brows and a giggle welled up inside her.

"Well then…" She rolled onto her back and stretched, feeling his eyes on her as she flexed and relaxed different muscles. "I need some more exercise." She rolled back into him. "Close your mouth Garth, before you start catching flies."

"I've got a better idea." He cupped the back of her neck and drew her down to him. She yielded with no resistance as he thread his fingers into her short curls, holding her there while he kissed his fill. She felt her languid pulse leap to life. She ought to be exhausted after all the early morning drama and skipping two meals, but she felt a new burst of energy growing in her midsection. "I'm kind of hungry but I don't feel like going out where everyone else is yet." He murmured as he nipped at the shell of her ear. She curled into him and marveled for what must be the fiftieth time how someone so large could be so gentle.

She thought she heard something outside the tent and froze for a moment, her fingers gripping his wrist where his hand had been about to slip between her legs. "Relax, trust me, you'll like this." He assured her. She was sure she would. She'd enjoyed every inch of him so far.

She listened for another second but there was nothing so she released his hand and pressed lightly on his shoulders. "Hey, who am I to stand in the way of a starving man?"

With a devilish grin he slipped under the covers, trailing kisses from her collarbone southward. He was laving her navel when she thought she heard it again. "Garth, Garth stop." She whispered frantically. She caught the shadow of two people conversing on the west side of their tent. She watched as the shadows stepped apart, one of them shaking her head furiously, the other counting something off his fingers. It looked like..

"Shit, that's Velasquez." One long arm reached over her and grabbed a tee shirt that had been tossed on the ground beside the bed. "Better put something on."

"Sargent Simpson? Are you decent?"

"Ah, no sir, ah hold on I …"

"Oh for goodness sakes Hector, my teenage daughter's in there!" Christine shoved past the Major and into the tent. One step inside she stumbled to a stop, covering her mouth with her hand. "Riley Louise! You put some clothes on right now! If your father was here to see you he would be very disappointed in your behavior!" Her mother was in fine form this afternoon. Her high pitched voice was accompanied by a perky ponytail and she wore a perfectly coordinated jogging outfit. The bangles jangling at her wrists gave away her athletic attire as a sham however.

"Go away Mom before you say something you'll regret." She scrambled for her thoughts. How dare her mother invade their private moment? She hadn't bothered to pay any attention to her for over week, why now?

"Sir I'm sorry Sir this is…" Garth cleared his throat. "Ah..Look, can you both just go outside and when we've ah, neatened up in here we can all sit down and discuss this like adults?" Garth's long arms kept moving as he was talking, retrieving clothes from around the mattress and setting them in her lap like some kind of nervous laundry octopus. Riley choked on the thought before she laughed out loud.

"I don't see that there is anything to discuss." Christine whirled in the Major. "Hector, this is an outrage! Your men apparently have no discipline. Unless he plans to marry her, I want him charged."

"Geez mom, it's not like I was virgin. Get over it." Her temper was threatening. She had managed not to fight back last night but there was no way she could tolerate her mother dragging Garth's reputation in the dirt. "This is none of your business."

For his part, at least Velasquez had the decency to shoot an apologetic look their way. "And what do you suppose I charge him with Christine? She's 17 and obviously consenting. "

Her mother sputtered. "Dishonorable behavior? I don't know!"

Velasquez shook his head. "They haven't done anything wrong as far as I can tell. Actually, I think we have by barging in to their private space. Come on." He tried to wrap an arm about her shoulders and shepherd her out but she was having none of it.

"No Hector! This isn't right. He's taking advantage of her. Can't you see.."

Impulsivity. Her father had always told her that it was her most troublesome trait, that one day she was going to get in trouble for saying something she couldn't take back. "Garth Einar Simpson, would you do me the honor of making an honest woman out of me?" She was so jittery that she almost didn't hear his reply. To be honest, she wasn't sure how he felt. They hadn't talked about feelings one bit. But she had spent all morning overwhelmed with feelings of trust and gratitude and certainty. And when his grin nearly blinded her, she figured that was as good as an answer.

"Why Riley Louis Slattery I think that would suit me just fine." He copied her over-formal tone. "Are you free tonight?"

Her answer was to pull the sheet over their heads so she could press her body back into his. A horrified gasp interrupted her attempt to capture his lips. "Go away mom, we're celebrating and you're not going to want to see this."

"What! Hector surely you can't allow this!" but their voices faded as the Major drew her mother out of the tent.

"You sure about this?" Garth nuzzled her neck as he asked, his hands already slipping over her skin.

"Mmmm. Don't think you're going to get out of it now. Haven't you heard about me? I'm known for my stubbornness."

Their tent was quiet for a long time. Not because he was backing out, but because his lips were too busy to answer her. Finally he pulled away. "Oh yeah? Well you just might have met your match in the stubborn-ness department."

She tugged his short hair to pull him toward her mouth. "I'm counting on it,"


	7. Crossroads 7 - Two Step

**Two Step, Dave Matthews Band**

So here she was, sitting up at 1 AM on a Tuesday, a former Olympic hopeful, barely eighteen years old, and soon to be a mother. She was pleasantly warm under the covers and now that Garth had relaxed into dreamless sleep she ought to be able to cuddle up and let her over stretched muscles melt into him. But a restless anxiety gnawed at her. It reminded her of the way she felt the night before a big gym meet when she would pack and repack her bag three or four times just to keep the inevitable crazy fears at bay, like the thoughts about sticking the landing and then looking down to find herself naked. She needed something to do.

She slipped out from under his arm and carefully swung her legs toward the floor. At this point in her pregnancy she had learned not to twist her body too fast because the inertial resistance of the twins easily strained her already relaxed ligaments. But she really couldn't move fast anyway. After a quick trip to the bathroom she looked around the tiny apartment for some excuse to be awake. There wasn't much that she could have left undone last night given that they were living in a two room hotel suite and she had cleaned up before putting herself to bed. Something out of place in the kitchenette area caught her eye. A box of cereal, a packet of nuts, and a paperback lay on the little kitchen counter beside a note that said, "Got you everything you need, a hot guy and sustenance. Don't forget you are supposed to be resting." in Garth's bold script. She shook her head at the idea of him worrying over her as she picked up the book and read the blurb on the back cover.

She eyed the couch with disdain. After spending months seven and eight on bedrest, the couch had become her own personal purgatory. She tried to perch on a barstool instead. She could stay here, snack on some nuts, and have some quality time with Zane, the handsome cowboy riding across the cover of her novel without so much as a shirt on. Or she could lay down wide awake and count the ceiling tiles. It was very likely that all 384 of them were still there. She hadn't felt this much like a caged animal since those long days stuck on the third floor of that old high school building.

After trying to focus for a few chapters she tossed the book down with a frustrated sigh. Zane had all the characteristics she loved. He was smart and confident and funny. But the simpering blond the author had paired him with didn't have enough common sense to fill a Dixie cup and she could tell she wouldn't be able to finish the story. With a heave, she got up to circle the room, trying to imagine what it was going to be like in here with two babies. Velasquez was planning to move them to Fort Leonard Wood in a few weeks so they had decided not to move to a bigger place when it was offered. But right now it felt a little crowded with all the baby gear set up. She stopped at the dresser, which was laid out as a changing table. She had come home from the Greens' baby shower a little sad that the strain with her mother meant that she wouldn't get the same experience only to find that Emma and her friends had set up a bunch of baby stuff in their apartment as a surprise. She picked up the little note on top of the basket of diapers and read it for the 100th time. She was going to cherish her sister's words forever.

"Dear Riley, You are the best big sister a little sister could ever have. I hope your girls grow up knowing they will always have each other the way we do. I can't wait to meet them. Love Aunty Em."

She picked up a onesie and held it against her stomach where she was pretty sure Baby 1 was lying. It looked comically small against the dancing bananas on her pajamas. Were they really going to be that small? With shaking hands she folded it and put it back where it belonged. Sometimes it felt like everything was ready except for her.

Her eyes picked out Garth's boots by the closet door where they would rest for far too short a night. She really didn't care if their room was a little messy but it was something to do so she bent to pick them up. As she did, the babies gave a yawn, at least that was how she envisioned it, that stretched her in two different directions and she had to stop short, one hand on the closet door, the other on the dresser, to breath through it. They were getting less rambunctious as they got more crowded, but when they decided to shift around, it was all she could do not to wince in pain. All her years of training had not prepared her for bruises from the inside out. "Settle down bunnies." She patted her belly as she stepped into the closet. But as she leaned forward to set the boots on the low shelf another big tumble stole her breath.

"Oh no, oh no." Panic seized her. She wasn't ready. No way. No how. She was supposed to have more time. "Garth?" He grunted but didn't wake up. As the feeling passed and she resumed her slow motion cleaning routine she chided herself for getting in a panic over a little baby roll. He needed to get as much sleep as he could. But then it happened again. She glanced at the clock on the microwave, it was only 4:15 and she was supposed to have the whole weekend before her appointment damn it! She'd had some mild contractions for the last few weeks but nothing like that! She stood there watching the clock to see if it happened again. Sure enough, at 4:23 another hit, this one followed by a rapid trickle of fluid wetting her fuzzy monkey slippers. And shit, that hurt already. Her lying mother had promised she would get to the hospital and be all set up with some good drugs before it started to hurt.

"Garth get up." The only response was a deep snore. She had never met anyone who could sleep through chaos like he could. "Hey! Get up" Damn, where was her cool composure now? "Garth!" Ow, it hurt to yell.

His snore stopped with a snort and he pushed up to peer at her in the dark, "Mmmhum?" One long pale arm reached out and patted her usual spot. "Did I oversleep again?"

One of their neighbors, PO Miller from the sound of it, pounded on the wall. "Hey, give it a rest newleyweds. It's 4 AM!"

She giggled. The first month after they moved in they had regularly teased the sailor by making grotesque noises on purpose. But the laughing caused her muscles to move against the next contraction as it was building and she ended on an "Owww."

"Is everything ok?" Garth was already half out of bed.

"Nope. Not ok over here. Your daughters have decided to make a break for it; it fucking hurts; and I don't think I can move."

He grabbed his pants. "Now? They're coming now?"

"Yessssss." She ground out as her clenching muscles reached their peak. If she made a fool of herself going in for false labor, she didn't care. She wanted to see her doctor and she wanted to see her now!

While he started lacing his boots she closed her eyes and hung on through another contraction. Either she was much more of a weakling than she'd always thought or her body had decided to skip the warm up phase she'd been promised. In the gap between contractions she felt fine so she kicked off her wet slippers and began removing her jammie pants. "Weren't they supposed to start like 15 minutes apart or something? Are you sure you haven't just wet your pants?" Garth looked up from where he was fiddling around the dark nightstand for his phone and watch. "Is this a drill to make sure I'm ready?" She felt frozen with no idea what to do. Damn, she hadn't thought of doing a practice drill which was a shame because apparently she was the one that needed a dry run. "Because I am ready. I have the bag. I have the phone. I will text your sister in a minute. Oh, and I'll get you a towel and some water for the ride." He headed for the kitchenette. "You just finish getting dressed and we can go."

She needed shoes. She couldn't see her flipflops underneath her belly but she wiggled her toes into them as best she could and waddled toward the door. "Ok, let's go." Her heart was pounding in her chest. This was it. The next time she came in this room she'd have two tiny people who depended on her. She started the pep talk she had rehearsed. She could do this. Dr. Lindstrom would be there and Garth would be there and it would just be a short procedure and…

Garth was standing in front of the door, blocking her way. "Uh Betty, aren't you forgetting something?"

She knew she was looking like him like he had three heads but she couldn't for the life of her remember what it was. He looked like some kind of deranged coat rack, standing there holding about half their belongings and texting her sister. She ran over the list she'd made in her head. He had her bag, his bag, a diaper bag, a towel, water, the snacks she'd packed, her green and purple quilt, a phone, and keys. What else was there? She put her hand on her hip. "Garth, I don't have time for this. I am getting the impression that these girls are just about as impatient as I usually am. Whatever it is, you can come back for it after."

He raised one overloaded arm to point at her lower body. "Pants?"

She felt rather than looked. Yes, she needed pants. Another contraction gripped her. Drugs would be good right about now. Drugs were at the hospital. Putting on pants would definitely delay her arrival. As it passed she reached for the towel to wrap around herself. "You know what, if I have you then I have all that I need. Let's go!"

The hospital was just as dark and creepy as it had been during her appointments but this time when they reached the parking lot she was less reluctant to go inside. Her father was reaching for the door of the truck almost before the truck stopped moving and she just barely slapped her hand over the lock button in time to stop him. "You called my father?"

Garth shrugged. "I called your sister like you asked me to. She must have told him. I'll send him ahead to let them know we're coming in." He slipped out the driver's side door and she watched the reflection of him greeting Mike in the side mirror. Her Dad looked more flustered than she'd ever seen him but it was also the first time she'd seen him slap Garth on the back like that. Men! She rolled her eyes as the next contraction gripped her. They were arriving closer together a lot sooner than she'd expected. Next thing she knew Garth was helping her wrap in her towel and they were headed inside.

Standing up again seemed to shift everything and suddenly her contractions were one on top of another. She waddled into the hospital and the pace of everything seemed to accelerate into a blur of people coming and going. She lost the towel somewhere but her modesty seemed to have disappeared along with the planned C-section. Baby 1 was ready and willing; the doctor that could perform the surgery was half an hour out; and so before she knew it she was sandwiched between Garth and a nurse pushing with all her might. Or maybe she would say that the baby was pushing out of her. She'd never felt anything like it but she sure as hell couldn't stop it. And then baby 2 snuck her way out just twenty minutes later while Garth held her sister in one strong arm and her hand in the other.

If you asked her what the room looked like or the nurse's name, she wouldn't be able to tell you. But the sound of baby 1's first cry or the feel of baby 2's downy hair, those were imprinted permanently in her memory already. She was shocked when she looked up and saw the misty light of sunrise peaking in the blinds of her room.

"Say cheese!" The nurses were bustling around the room, throwing towels in a bin and cleaning up equipment but Garth ignored them all.

"Oh come on! I look terrible! At least let me brush my hair." She protested but he kept snapping away anyway. Vera had fallen asleep five minutes ago and Jayne was still suckling. "And do we really need so many boob pictures?"

"I do. I heard what the doctor said about six weeks so I definitely need those pictures." Her usually restrained husband was bubbling over with joy like a middles school girl with a new hair tool.

"Mr. And Mrs. Simpson-Slattery?" Another nurse stuck her head in the door. "I came to see if you had filled out those birth certificates yet. We like to get them filed on the same shift as the birth, whenever possible."

Garth opened the yellow folder that had been left on the rolling bed table. "Well Betty, who is who?" They had picked the girl's names weeks ago but she insisted they had to meet them before they could decide which baby got which name.

The patient in the room next door was shouting for help and Garth's face momentarily clouded. But he shook it off stepping back to shut her door and mute the sound. "If I haven't said it before, you were amazing. For all your talk of being scared, I think you were the most calm person in the room." She practically glowed under his smile. It had all happened so quickly and she was so excited that in the end it wasn't so much scary as just overwhelming. And now she felt like she had run a marathon but could probably run two or three more. It must be the hormones, she figured.

She pulled Jayne up onto her shoulder so she would cover her breast while she reached out for the forms. The baby let out a tiny cry but settled in under her chin, apparently satisfied to have her mother's body warmth. "I already kind of named them." She offered her husband an apologetic lift of her brow. "This is Jayne and that is Vera." She pointed to the baby nestled in a blanket between her legs, oblivious to everything going on.

"That's good with me." Garth bent over the forms. "Girls, I officially designate you Vera Malory and Jayne Kaylee Simpson-Slattery." He grinned as he carefully filled in the rest of the boxes. "You do want to keep the hyphenated name, right?"

She couldn't sit up to look at the paper without dislodging the twins from their peaceful sleep. "Sorry, you know how he is about his name…" Even her father's grumpy stance toward Garth couldn't dim her mood.

The woman next door's yells were becoming more panicked and the nurse excused herself to go lend assistance. Garth laughed nervously. "He put it that way, on the form. I was just checking." She and Garth had debated quite a bit. After all, it would be perfectly acceptable for their kids to take the name Simpson alone. But knowing what she did about Garth's family, she wanted to have a connection to her's represented as well.

"My dad wrote it that way? No way. My sister must have filled it out."

Garth held it up. Sure enough, there was her father's bold block handwriting declaring the twins last name as Simpson-Slattery. "Well I guess he's finally accepted you." She smiled up at him. "I told you, once he got to know you, especially what a professional you are, that he would love you."

Garth's grin was a mile wide. "I think you're right. While you were taking pictures with Emma he took me aside and hugged me and said he thought I was doing OK as a dad, so far." He winked as he said it, making her heart feel like it just might burst apart with radiance. "I am a lucky man, to have found you Riley Simpson-Slattery."

She blew him a kiss from the top of the world. "And don't you ever forget it!"


End file.
